The Chicago Cubs did it again against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. This time, Michael Busch came forward for the Cubs with the winning run in the extra innings. In the Cubs’ 3-2 walk-off victory, the Reds’ shortstop Elly De La Cruz‘s 10th-inning misplay smoothed things over for Chicago. However, it was a moment of disrespect, and the instant karma that followed, that had fans talking.

With the Reds leading 1-0, 24-year-old rookie Matt Shaw faced starter Andrew Abbott to lead off the third. Shaw hit a single in the right-field gap and tried to stretch it into a double. The umpire first called him safe, but the Reds challenged. After the replay showed Spencer Steer tagged him in time, the umpires overturned the call. In a totally uncalled-for move, Cruz tapped Shaw’s helmet and gestured for him to return to the dugout following the call.

“Elly De La Cruz tapped Matt Shaw on the helmet after he was called out at second and motioned him to go back to the dugout,” wrote Cubs Zone after sharing the clip on X.

Cubs fans immediately took issue with the condescending gesture. The rookie infielder went 1-for-2 against the Reds on Tuesday. In his second season at Chicago, Shaw has slashed .284/.322/.469, driving 3 homers and 10 RBI. He took it in stride; the fans, however, did not.

The game started to turn in the Cubs’ favor as the Reds’ bullpen took over. With one out in the bottom of the eighth as Chicago trailed 2-1, Busch launched a solo blast to tie the score.

In the bottom of the 10th, Busch hit a single that allowed Dansby Swanson to score the winning run. The play was a disaster for Elly De La Cruz, who fumbled the ball at shortstop instead of making the routine out. X handle Cubs Zone posted the video of the final play, joining it with the clip of Cruz tapping Shaw’s helmet.

The post reads, “De La Cruz later made an error that caused the Reds to lose.”

Tuesday was a second straight night of festivities at Wrigley Field as the Cubs increased their winning streak to seven games, as they won for the 17th time in the last 20 games. The home ballpark saw its 13th straight win this season.

Meanwhile, the fans have called out De La Cruz’s on-field attitude towards Shaw.

Fans call out Elly de la Cruz for tapping Matt Shaw’s helmet

One fan remarked, “Instant karma,” while another added, “lmao Elly tapping helmets like he’s hot shit then boots the game away.” De La Cruz tapped Matt Shaw’s helmet after the umpire called him out. Ultimately, the shortstop made the fielding mistake that secured the win for the Cubs. He holds a .978 fielding percentage and wasn’t charged with an error on Tuesday, even though he went hitless.

“Sh-t actually pissed me off when he did that… well hopefully he’s happy losing 5 in a row,” commented one fan. The Reds hold a 20-16 record and sit in third place in the NL Central, just behind the Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds are on a five-game losing streak.

One user opined, “Elly could have just done the as- pat like every other player if he wanted to acknowledge Shaw.” Considering there was no ill intention on Cruz’s part, a fan opined that he could have avoided tapping Shaw’s helmet.

Another user wrote, “Bush league from an otherwise good player. And Matt Shaw is a stand-up dude who takes heat from everyone.” During Monday’s game, Shaw heard it from Pete Crow Armstrong after his on-deck signaling was off.

PCA scored the game-tying run on Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly. He reached home plate standing up and just barely beat the tag. It happened because Shaw did not wave hard enough to signal PCA to slide. At the dugout, the camera caught PCA ripping into Shaw for a mistake that could have almost cost the game to the Cubs.

Even if Cruz’s tap on the helmet meant no harm, the ‘go back to the dugout’ gesture appeared disrespectful.