PHOENIX — Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro apparently can’t go anywhere without his phone.
Called up from Triple-A Indianapolis before the game, Castro slid headfirst into third in the fourth inning of the team’s 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night and had his phone fly out of his back pocket.
Third base umpire Adam Hamari immediately saw the phone and pointed to it on the ground. The 23-year-old Castro picked up the phone and handed it to Pirates third base coach Mike Rebelo, who had an exasperated look on his face before taking it.
Major League Baseball has cracked down on technology being used on the field since the Houston Astros used live TV feeds to steal opposing teams’ signs during their run to the 2017 World Series championship and part of the 2018 season.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A. J. Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season. The Astros also were fined $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021.
No word on if Castro had the ringer on vibrate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.