Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was ejected from Saturday night’s road game against the Baltimore Orioles after smashing the bullpen phone in the visiting dugout.
Ortiz walked twice but was hitless in his two other plate appearances, including the final one where he struck out swinging in the top of the seventh inning. The veteran argued balls and strikes throughout, and once he had the dugout tantrum, home plate umpire Tim Timmons tossed him.
After the game, Ortiz offered some insight into what made him so angry (via Providence Journal reporter Brian MacPherson):
Ortiz: “MLB should do something about that because that was horrible. … The worst call of the year.”
— Brian MacPherson (@brianmacp) July 28, 2013
Ortiz said what really set him off was when Timmons wouldn’t admit he missed it. Timmons had told Dempster he missed the 0-2 pitch.
— Brian MacPherson (@brianmacp) July 28, 2013
Getting kicked out of the game only made Ortiz even more upset, as he walked to the top of the dugout shouting at Timmons for the bad calls he apparently made.
An unfortunate byproduct of the situation was that Ortiz nearly hit his teammate, Dustin Pedroia, with the bat shards that flew as a result of his anger, per Jenny Dell of NESN:
Wild game. David Ortiz tossed after destroying bullpen phone in dugout with bat. Dustin Pedroia nearly hit by bat shards. #RedSox
— Jenny Dell (@JennyDellNESN) July 28, 2013
It would be one thing for Ortiz to get this upset in the friendly confines of Fenway Park, but the fact that this took place in another team’s stadium is sure to draw the ire of those interested in the Orioles.
Here’s the remnants of the dugout phone (courtesy of ESPN’s Gordon Edes):
Phone destroyed by David Ortiz, wrapped in its plastic burial shroud. It was phone to pressbox, not pen pic.twitter.com/xALcxNa6ED
— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) July 28, 2013
MASN’s Steve Melewski criticized Ortiz for being selfish and deflecting the success of his Red Sox team—who was leading 7-2 at the time—onto himself:
With his team winning by 5 runs, David Ortiz just made it all about him. Md Stad Auth, send that bill to Fenway Park for dugout damage.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) July 28, 2013
This type of frustration happens all the time in baseball, particularly when a prolific hitter such as Ortiz was having as bad of a night as he did. Combine that with the unfavorable calls, and it is an environment where players can snap.
Ortiz’s actions certainly won’t go unnoticed in commissioner Bud Selig’s office, so Ortiz may be facing a fine or a suspension.
Or maybe even a bill from Oriole Park at Camden Yards to repair that broken phone.
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