If any player from the Dodgers camp caught the most attention in the last few weeks, it ought to be their catcher, Dalton Rushing. From calling the Rockies’ win over the Dodgers fishy to his heated exchanges with the Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, Rushing had busy weeks off late. And it continued in the ongoing Marlins series, but in a different form.

This time, Rushing faced the odds as he was called an automatic strike three in the second game against the Marlins. He left the field visibly frustrated, but the fans were quick to remind him of the recent events and gave a brutal reality check.

“Dalton Rushing was called out on an automatic strike three because the umpire said he was never granted a timeout, even though Rushing was certain he was,” Jomboy Media shared via X.

The story unfolded in the fifth inning when Rushing came to bat in the third out against the Marlins’ Janson Junk. Home plate umpire Clint Vondrak called an automatic strike three as the pitch clock expired, leaving the Dodger catcher dumbfounded. He tried to convince the umpire that he had asked for a timeout, which the latter missed or did not acknowledge.

For the unversed, in MLB, a batter is out via timeout primarily by violating the pitch timer rules. A batter is called out if they are not in the box, alert to the pitcher, with at least eight seconds remaining on the pitch clock. So, just as Rushing was not ready for the pitcher despite the pitch clock, he was called an automatic strikeout.

The 25-year-old slugger remained hitless in the fifth, but his frustrated expressions continued even in the dugout. In the middle, the Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, was also seen entering the field, hinting at a heated moment, which didn’t escalate further.

The Dodgers eventually lost the game by 2-1, with Rushing scoring 1 run from his 4 at-bats.

Rushing is going hot this year, hitting .349 and already belting 7 homers. Owing to his hot stint in the batter’s box, the Dodgers gave him the DH role in the second game as Shohei Ohtani started the game. However, the game didn’t go as expected. Still, the fans can’t help but recall Rushing’s recent events on the field.

Rushing reportedly foul-mouthed the Cubs’ Miguel Amaya over the weekend, which tempted Nico Hoerner to fight it out. “I wish that I had confronted him a little more directly,” Hoerner said. While Hoerner wished, Rushing called an automatic strike by the umpire against the Marlins, which made the fans wonder if that was a reality check.

The Dodgers fans react to Dalton Rushing’s timeout

A few fans wonder whether Rushing asked for a timeout before. “W– is going on here. I might have to side with the batter here,” one fan said. The footage showed Rushing repeatedly asking the umpire about his timeout call. A quick reply could have helped at the moment. While batters could ask for a timeout by his call sign or verbally, we are not sure what Rushing had done here.

Still, the footage clearly showed that Rushing was not ready to face the pitcher when the umpire called a strikeout. Could a batter waste such time without a timeout? We Wonder. “I hate this dude, but he clearly wasn’t in the wrong here,” another added.

However, for a few other fans, Rushing is the one to blame. “Karma,” one user remarked. “Consider it karma for being such a Douche,” another added.

It seems like Dalton Rushing has garnered quite a fan hate in the last few weeks. Especially, the fans are referring to his exchanges with Jung Hoo Lee. In the first game against the Giants, Lee tried to cover home plate on a single in the sixth inning. But he was tagged out by Rushing. However, while Lee appeared to injure himself, Rushing reportedly cursed him.

As per the fans, Rushing getting an automatic strikeout is nothing but karma. After he dominated in the recent duels, this time, he is at the receiving end. “Everybody hates Rushing at this point. He became an intolerable D-Bag in the course of a week,” another fan agrees.

So, whether Dalton Rushing was right or wrong in the game against the Marlins took a backseat here. For the majority of the fans, it’s a brutal reality check for the Dodgers catcher.