Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz was ejected for smashing a dugout phone with his baseball bat after striking out in the seventh inning of Saturday night's game in Baltimore.
"Big Papi" was upset about a high 3-0 pitch that was called a strike by home plate umpire Tim Timmons. Ortiz was so sure that the pitch was ball four that he flipped the bat and was preparing to walk to first base. After finishing the at-bat with a big swing and amiss for strike three, Big Papi argued with Timmons as he walked back to the dugout, including showing Timmons how high he felt the 3-0 pitch was. Timmons showed some restraint in not ejecting him from the game at that moment.Ortiz went ballistic upon returning to the dugout as he smashed the dugout phone with a bat three times, leaving Timmons with no choice but to eject Ortiz from the game. Dustin Pedroia had to duck for cover to ensure he didn't get injured by the shattered pieces of the phone. Big Papi then came back out onto the field and cursed out Timmons while being held back by manager John Farrell and bench coach Torey Lovullo before heading to the locker room.
Whether Ortiz was justified for being upset with the umpire 3-0 pitch call is debatable, but there is no debating that there was no excuse for Big Papi's behavior afterwards. Aside from the obvious damage he caused to the phone, which he should have to pay for, Ortiz could have seriously injured one of his teammates. You have to wonder why Ortiz became so enraged, considering the Red Sox had a 7-2 lead at the time and are in prime position for a playoff run. Looks like Big Papi could use a little anger management counseling.
UPDATE: The phone that Big Papi destroyed was the phone to the press box, not the phone to the Red Sox bullpen.
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
DISCLAIMER: Holdout Sports does not condone this behavior.
Video via MLB.
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Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
