Maddon had formally protested Saturday's game, claiming Nationals closer Sean Doolittle used an illegal toe-tap delivery.

Joe Maddon won't protest Cubs' loss to Nationals after all


The Cubs have dropped their protest over Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Nationals.

Chicago manager Joe Maddon had formally protested the game, claiming Washington left-hander Sean Doolittle used an illegal delivery.

However, the team has since decided not to move forward with their protest after discussions with MLB officials, with Maddon clarifying that he wanted to make a point objecting Doolittle’s toe-tap delivery after it was ruled illegal in the past.

In fact, Cubs righty Carl Edwards Jr. was told his similar move was illegal earlier this season.

"I really didn’t anticipate a whole lot to be done with it," Maddon said Sunday, via the Chicago Tribune. "I still don’t agree with the conclusion because I think it’s exactly what Carl did, only a different version of it.

"But the point was I would not be a good parent had I not spoken up for my guy, and that’s what I was doing (Saturday) night — speaking up for Carl. It’s just to eliminate any kind of gray area there for the future because it’s going to happen again somewhere. And you’re just trying to delineate what is right and what is wrong."

Had MLB ruled in Maddon's favor, the game would have resumed with one out in the ninth.

"[Maddon] thought he was tapping his foot, which in itself is not illegal, and this all kind of stems from his pitcher being called on something that was a little bit different than what Doolittle was doing," crew chief Sam Holbrook told a pool reporter. "So in our judgment, Doolittle did nothing illegal at all."

The Cubs were still the weekend winners, closing out the three-game series at Nationals Park with a 6-5 win on Sunday following their 14-6 win on Friday.