That's a clown response, bro, literally.
A day after he was called a "clown" by Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner, Nationals outfielder Victor Robles showed up to Chase Field with a new look: a red clown nose.
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Robles showed it off in the Nats' dugout.
Yesterday, Madison Bumgarner called Victor Robles a "clown" for celebrating his home run.
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@sportingnews) July 24, 2022
So Robles wore this to the game today 🍿 pic.twitter.com/nksNhlZxLO
But as well as it was received by the internet, the accessory was received just as poorly by Nats manager Dave Martinez.
"That’s not who we are, right? It happened. It’s done. I don’t want to see that kind of stuff," Martinez told reporters postgame, per MLB.com's Jessica Camerato. Martinez also said that he would talk to Robles about it.
As for why Robles did it, here's the backstory:
During the eighth inning of Saturday's contest between the Nats and D-backs, Robles hit a solo home run to left field off Bumgarner to cut Arizona lead to 7-2. That would be the final score of the game.
After he connected on the no-doubt blast, Robles admired his shot before beginning his trot around the bases. It was Robles' third home run of the year.
Bumgarner took exception to Robles' celebration, calling him a "clown" for the way he admired his home run.
"He's a clown. Golly, no shame. It's 7-1, you hit your third homer of the year, you act like Barry Bonds breaking the record. Clean it up," Bumgarner said. "I don't care about giving up the run. I mean we won 7-1, 7-2, 8-2, whatever it was. That's frustrating. I'm the old grumpy guy, I know, but that type of stuff, that didn't used to happen. Now it's ridiculous."
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Upon hearing he had been called a clown, Robles responded that he was just celebrating his home run and that he was excited, the same way Bumgarner would have been had he picked up a big strikeout or completed a standout inning.
"It seems like he calls everybody a clown that actually has a hit or a home run against him," Robles said through a translator. "You know, if he doesn't want anybody hitting a home run against him or having any issues with that, then just keep striking people out or make better pitches to where he doesn't have to worry about that."
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Bumgarner is no stranger to being the "old grumpy guy" when it comes to home run celebrations. When he was with the Giants, he was upset by Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy taking too long on his home run trot, which prompted Muncy to tell him to "get [the baseball] out of the ocean." Bumgarner also had a longstanding feud with Yasiel Puig, who had some dramatic home run celebrations for the Dodgers and Reds against the former Giants southpaw.
It wasn't the best day for Robles on Sunday against the Diamondbacks, however, as he went 1 for 4 with a caught stealing in Washington's win.
But with his response to Bumgarner, that line should perhaps be updated to reflect another home run.
