Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected from Wednesday night's game against Philadelphia for arguing a defensive interference call.
It happened in the top of the sixth with Phillies runner Alec Bohm on second and nobody out as the Dodgers held a 4-3 lead. Phillies batter Brandon Marsh bunted towards third base with Bohm running to third on the bunt. As third baseman Enrique Hernandez came in to field the bunt, shortstop Miguel Rojas covered third. Hernandez threw the ball to Rojas, and Rojas tagged Bohm as he slid into third for the out. Or so we thought.
Third base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called Bohm safe due to defensive interference. Wendelstedt apparently felt that Rojas obstructed Bohm from touching the bag on the slide. Rojas argued to no avail, with Roberts backing up Rojas from the dugout. Wendelstedt ejected Roberts, and Roberts came out of the dugout to make sure he got his money's worth.
Dave Roberts was PISSED over this defensive interference call and he's been ejected pic.twitter.com/WoeheeeBa0
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 8, 2024
The call for defensive interference is based on whether a fielder either not in possession of the ball or not in the act of fielding the throw impedes the runner. Rojas ran towards the bag to field the throw, then turned to tag him when he got the ball. Rojas put his foot down to secure himself to the ground as he tagged Bohm, and the foot may have been in the path of the slide, but that's just a baseball play. We don't blame Roberts for being angry here.
The Phillies would go on to score 5 runs in the inning to blow the game wide open and pave the way to a 9-4 victory to win the rubber match of the three-game series.
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.
