4/17/2011: Laredo, TX – It was more than Octávio Pexego could take.

Staring in the face of an eighth straight loss and a 2-9 record to start the season, Pexego exploded.

It was the bottom of the 9^th.

Pexego had been seething all night.  He had twice had sharp words for home plate umpire Eric Stallings.  On another occasion, teammates had to restrain him after heated words with teammate Carlos Madrigal.  Television cameras had caught him pacing the dugout several times like a caged cat.

Then it came.  With all it’s fury.  An Octávio meltdown.

The first to feel his fury was a defenseless water cooler.  Pexego assaulted the water cooler with his bat, two swift blows turning the cooler into tattered shards of plastic.  He then picked up its remains and hurled them from the dugout and onto the infield.

Teammates tried to calm Pexego at this point.  Television cameras showed Rubén Cruz walking the length of the dugout with Pexego, his arm on Pexego’s shoulder, talking calmly.  Pexego was nodding.  It appeared the worst was over.

Not quite.  Seconds later, a bat is hurled onto the infield.  The bat boy, who had gone onto the field to retrieve the remains of the now deceased water cooler, had to dodge the twirling bat.   More follow.  The batboy heads for the safety of the West Virginia dugout.  Teammates are seen scurrying for the tunnel.  Within minutes, the entire bat rack has been emptied, its contents now littering the entire infield.

One brave sole stayed on the bench calmly during Pexego’s tirade; bench coach Ye-qing Ng, who at one point can be seen pointing towards a section of infield near first base that is apparently empty of debris.  Pexego rectifies that by firing batting helmets in that direction.  Gloves soon follow that.  Ye-qing Ng is seen laughing.

When the entire dugout has been emptied of all its gear, Pexego takes off his cleats, walks out onto the field and fires them toward left field.  At this point, fans get into the act and begin throwing debris on the field.  Pexego claps as the debris rains down, and began gesturing to the fans to thrown more.  The field is quickly littered with even more debris.  As Pexego walked slowly back to the dugout, the fans began to give him an ovation.  As he reached the front of the dugout, Pexego bowed gracefully for the crowd, then stripped off the remainder of his uniform and tossed it towards the infield.  Standing near the on deck circle in nothing but his jockstrap and stirrups, he blew the crowd a kiss, then jogged into the dugout and disappeared down the tunnel.

It took the grounds crew nearly 30 minutes to clean up the field so that the final two outs of the game could be played.  Several of the Calzones players emerged from the dugout to assist, though mainly it appeared they were trying to collect their own bats and gloves.   Through it all, bench coach Ye-qing Ng remained in his customary seat at the near end of the dugout, never moving.  Just smiling and enjoying the show.

The Calzones locker room remained locked for an hour after the game, and when reporters could finally get in, Pexego was nowhere to be found.  Teammates and coaches largely refused to comment.  Evidence of further destruction could be seen in the form of broken chairs lying near the shower door and an overturned postgame meal table.  Only bench coach Ye-qing Ng offered comment.  Said Ng, “Best meltdown I have seen in at least 20 years.  Octávio hit the high note tonight.”

Calzones officials have declined to comment.  The league is said to be looking into the matter.  Pexego, suspended for a game last season because of an incident involving Jack Cobb, could be facing even more severe punishment this time under the league’s zero-tolerance policy.