With the All-Star break behind us, teams are eyeing playoff contention, and the second half is poised for drama. It just started to feel like the MLB season could finally shift its focus solely to the on-field grind. But how could you stay away from chaos when you are controversy’s favorite child? So yeah, it’s almost as if baseball cannot help but trip over its own cleats when momentum seems to build around the game itself.

Over the years, MLB has developed an uncomfortable reputation, not just for thrilling October finishes or record-breaking feats, but for consistently being at the center of controversy. Yet, what’s currently brewing isn’t just another episode in that familiar saga. It’s shaping up to be something that threatens to shake the very core of MLB’s administrative credibility. What’s more, Bryce Harper’s stature is being questioned!

Remember Dee Strange-Gordon? Since his retirement, no major controversies have involved him. So the man himself thought of stirring up the matter 10 years later by taking the fight to MLB! During a recent episode of the Raw Room podcast, the former MLB player opened up about his infamous suspension in 2016. And interestingly, he claims getting positive for the performance-enhancing drug was not the reason.

“In 2015, they told my little black a– don’t win that batting championship, and I said you all got me —– up,” he began, refusing to take names. “It was a guy. I ain’t gonna say his name, he would’ve won the triple crown if I let him win the batting title. On the last day of the season, I beat him for the batting title. He won MVP that year.“

So, Gordon went no-holds-barred, disclosing some uncomfortable details about 2015. He accused the MLB top brass of coercing him to give up the batting title for someone who won the MVP in 2015. If you don’t know, that’s Bryce Harper, who was then with the Nationals. Now, this is a huge accusation, to say the least. But did that actually happen in real?

If you don’t remember Strange-Gordon, let’s recall. He was the 2015 NL Batting Champ, who was suspended for 80 games in 2016 due to performance-enhancing drug use. Well, he made a comeback after the suspension and changed teams multiple times until his retirement in 2022. 

As for the latest controversy, the numbers from 2015 say otherwise. Harper finished that season with 99 RBIs, while Nolan Arenado finished with 130 RBIs. So, even if Gordon had let go of his NL batting title, Harper couldn’t have won the Triple Crown.

Dee Strange-Gordon and controversy go hand-in-hand during his days in MLB

Well, this is not the first time that Gordon has chosen to stir up controversy. There were multiple incidents apart from his suspension during his playing days that sparked controversies.

Remember the 2018 Locker Room Altercation between Gordon and Jean Segura when he was with the Mariners? According to reports, the scuffle was between Gordon and shortstop Segura. It all started after Gordon made a costly error the night before. In one game in September 2018, Gordon misjudged a routine fly ball in the seventh inning, letting it drop for a two-base error. Reportedly, that was the ignition key to the altercation. That’s another chapter of Gordon’s controversy in MLB.

There’s more. Just a few days ago, we saw barrages of HBP in the Dodgers-Padres series. Both teams had heated moments, and voila, back to normal again! While the majority of HBPs are unintentional, they ideally don’t go beyond the diamond. But when it comes to Gordon, things tend to take a turn. In May 2019, he was hit by a pitch from the Yankees’ J.A. Happ and publicly criticized the veteran pitcher.

“It was the second time he threw up by my head. You’ve got to get the ball down. If you can’t throw that pitch, don’t throw it. I have a family. You need to get the ball, you need to get the ball [expletive] down. That’s twice,” Gordon said. Again, blown out of proportion!

Now, after all these years, Gordon is back with yet another, and perhaps the biggest, accusation against MLB in recent times. When the league’s goodwill is at stake, we expect a rational response from the top brass. Let’s see what’s coming next!