Thursday, May 22, 2008
Girardi!
Finally a little fire in the Yankees!
Manager Joe Girardi was ejected in Thursday game against the Orioles for a called third strike on Jason Giambi.
Giambi was looking at two strike before an inside pitched seemed to clip his bat knob as O's catcher Ramon Hernandez held onto the ball for the out.
Home plate umpire Chris Guccione, who ejected Girardi, made a delayed call, almost seemingly waiting on confirmation from Hernandez as he pointed to Giambi and claiming that it hit the bat.
For those of you who did not watch the play... O's reliever Jim Johnson threw a pitch inside and Giambi backed away thinking it was ball three, however, Hernandez claimed that it hit the end of the bat and held onto it for a foul tipped third strike. Guccione did not make an immediate call and it wasn't until Hernandez pointed out that it hit the bat, did he make the strike three call.
Giambi went to argue the call as he thought it was a ball, and not hit off the end of his bat. Enter Joe Girardi.
Initially, Girardi was calm making a simple case, but it was not to be. As Girardi went on and got more heated, the crowd got louder which pinnacled in a hat tossing followed up by a kick.
Usually when a manager tosses his hat, it is a sign that he is done.
Not in this case.
Girardi went back for more and continued to yell at Guccione before switching his tirade to umpire-in-chief Tim Welke before finally leaving the field, and earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
The Yankees won the game in the ninth inning with a game-winning RBI single from Robinson Cano.
Editor's note: Girardi was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount. He served his suspension Friday in the 13-2 win over the Mariners.
In another interesting turn of events, Mariners manager John McLaren was ejected on another controversial call with Jason Giambi at bat. On a full count, Giambi took a pitch on the outside of the plate. Home plate umpire Mike DiMuro appeared to begin the strike three punch out, but instead he adjusted his face mask as Giambi trotted to first on the walk.
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Labels: Chris Guccione, ejection, Jason Giambi, Joe Girardi, John McLaren, Mariners, Mike DiMuro, Orioles, umpire, Yankees
Posted by Steve Kenul at 11:28 PM
Jim Gerl posted at 5:27 PM
Hi,
I just voted for this blog in two categories for the Bloggers Choice Awards.
Would you please return the favor at
http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/21620
Thanks, SpEdLaw2
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