Rockies Rookie Cole Carrigg Suspended After Flipping Off Fans

Cole Carrigg, a rookie center fielder for the Colorado Rockies, found himself in serious trouble after flipping off fans at Truist Park during Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The incident sparked an ugly, curse-filled screaming match involving Pete Crow-Armstrong and a female White Sox fan, though that separate drama did not involve Carrigg directly.

The Rockies held onto a one-nil lead early on. Carrigg dove for Michael Harris II's fly ball but came up empty. Instead of a play, the ball went for a two-run double, giving Atlanta the lead. As Braves fans let him hear it, Carrigg lost his cool and flipped the bird toward the stands.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer publicly condemned the gesture immediately. He said Carrigg would remain out of the starting lineup for a couple of days. "Cole made a mistake, and he knows that is an embarrassment to the organization and that we don't stand for that," Schaeffer said. "Listen, everybody makes mistakes. It is just one that he has to learn from. It is just that we will not put up with that here."

Despite being held out of Sunday's starting lineup, Carrigg entered the series finale as a pinch hitter. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout, then remained in the game at center field and shortstop. Carrigg owned the lapse in judgment afterward. "First, I apologize to my teammates and the organization, that's not how I want to represent us," Carrigg said. "That's inexcusable on my part."

He acknowledged his passion for winning ballgames but admitted he was caught up in a play he felt could or could not have changed the outcome. "With that being said, I'm somebody who's going to play at 110 percent every game and give my all to this team and to the game to try to win ballgames," Carrigg said. He added, "Braves fans are pretty passionate themselves. Kudos to them. But that gesture can't happen."

Flipping off fans gets you benched every time. Yet in a league full of canned answers, at least Cole Carrigg actually cares about the fallout. Take the licks, learn the lesson, and move on.