David Ortiz goes ballistic after two questionable strike calls
David Ortiz has never been one to hide his feelings or emotions while on a baseball field. Remember the time he unsympathetically pummeled a phone in the Baltmore Orioles dugout?
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With that in mind, it should come as no big surprise that Ortiz went a little crazy on Friday night when he felt home plate umpire Ron Kulpa ruined his ninth-inning at-bat with two questionable strike calls.
Batting with the bases loaded, one out and Boston trailing the New York Yankees by a run, Ortiz had a chance to turn the game around with one swing. He worked the count against closer Andrew Miller to 3-1, which meant he could be selective.
The 3-1 pitch was not to his liking, as it appeared to sail low and away. Yankees catcher Brian McCann caught it awkwardly as well, which added to the appearance of a pitch well out of the strike zone. Kulpa called the pitch a strike anyway, leading to Ortiz venting his frustrations and manager John Farrell getting ejected for the sake of saving Ortiz.
Here’s the pitch data, which clearly supports the Red Sox.
Of course, it’s important to note these devices don’t always give us accurate readings. Also remember it’s not where the catcher catches the ball, it’s where the ball crosses the plate. Here though, it’s difficult to tell where that happened exactly because of McCann’s awkward reception.
Regardless, the at-bat continued with a slightly calmed down Ortiz at the plate. On the 3-2 pitch, Ortiz again stood and watched. This time the pitch came in over the plate, right near the knees. It was borderline, but Kulpa again called a strike, which set off some fireworks.
Ortiz didn’t make as big a scene as he did years ago in Baltimore, but he made his point before leaving. After the Yankees held on to win the game 3-2, he picked up where he left off talking to reporters in Boston’s clubhouse.
Ortiz’s frustration is understandable. It’s one of those situations where you hate to see an umpire playing such a big role in the outcome. Regardless of how you feel about the first call, it definitely had an impact. The second pitch was definitely too close to take based on the first one, but sometimes there’s so little consistency with the strike zones that hitters don’t know what to do.
In this case, Ortiz clearly didn’t, and he wore the frustration all over his face.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
