Saturday was the first full day of spring training exhibition games and it didn't take long for the first manager-umpire confrontation of the year. Following a disagreement last year, St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol took offense when umpire C. B. Bucknor refused to shake his hand before his team's first spring game.
"He has zero class as a man," Marmol told The Athletic after the game. The other umpires -- Angel Hernandez, Ron Kulpa, and Carlos Torres -- shook Marmol's hand prior to Saturday's game and apologized for Bucknor's behavior, according to The Athletic.
"We are aware of Mr. Marmol's comments and the matter is under review," an MLB spokesperson told ESPN Sunday.
Bucknor worked Monday's Cardinals game and shook hands with Marmol during the lineup card exchange. The league considers the matter closed, according to ESPN.
The bad feelings between Bucknor and Marmol date back to last August, when Bucknor ejected Marmol for arguing balls and strikes. During the argument, Marmol appeared to tell the umpire he should retire. Here's the ejection:
"I didn't like his smirk when I got out there," Marmol told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following last year's ejection. "And then he questioned my time in the league. And so I returned the favor and questioned his time in the league."
Marmol is entering his second season with the Cardinals. St. Louis went 93-69 and won the NL Central last year before being swept in the Wild Card Series by the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. At 36, Marmol is youngest manager in baseball.
Bucknor, 60, has been an MLB umpire since 1996.
