Umpires get it wrong in tossing Dodgers’ Kershaw against Diamondbacks

Major League Baseball got it wrong Wednesday night.

In the sixth inning of a 2-0 game Los Angeles Dodgers
pitcher Clayton Kershaw was ejected for hitting Arizona
Diamondback Gerardo Parra.

No other player had been hit by a pitch in the game. No
warnings were ever given. Kershaw hits Parra and is gone
from the game. (I could go bad business decision with this
in an entire column — but I’ll save that for another
day.)

The Cy Young candidate was in the middle of a one-hit
shutout against the likely National League West Champions.

This all started Tuesday night when Parra hit a home run
and decided to admire
it.

Diamondbacks television play-by-play announcer Daron
Sutton had this to say about Parra’s admiration.

“Parra not moving at all. He watched that one for a long,
long time.”

Analyst Mark Grace added, “And I don’t blame him.”

You know what, I didn’t blame Parra either. Earlier in the
at bat when he showed to bunt he nearly took a Hong-Chih
Kuo pitch between the eyes.

Parra took that personal. He got back at Kuo with that
home run. He then took it a step further by not stepping
out of the batter’s box fast enough.

That’s when he put his team in a tough position. It’s
baseball. Kershaw was seen yelling and hollering from his
dugout. Not going to act like I know his exact words but I
have a guess it was something about getting around the
bases quickly and that he was pitching the following
night. He was backing and protecting his team.

Parra, manager Kirk Gibson and hitting coach Don Baylor
were all shown on television to be saying stuff back
towards the Dodgers’ dugout. The coaches were backing and
protecting their player. Perfect.

Gibson said as much on Arizona Sports 620’s Burns & Gambo
earlier on Wednesday.

“The way [Parra] chooses to go around the bases is his
business, we’re all held accountable for our actions,”
Gibson said. “I’ve been up there I’ve been thrown at my
head so I can relate to that side of it.”

Once that happened all eyes turned to Parra’s at-bats
against Kershaw, if Parra were in the lineup.

This is where I believe Gibson made, yet another,
brilliant move in putting Parra in the lineup Wednesday
night. I guarantee he was very well thinking Kershaw would
throw at Parra, get ejected and put his team in a tough
spot.

IF Major League Baseball and the umpires warned both teams
prior to the game about batters being hit then I could see
Kershaw’s ejection being justified. This was not the case.
At least not directly, from what both teams said after the
game. Dodger manager Don Mattingly reacting the way he did
and eventually getting himself tossed makes it hard to
believe that was the case.

Regardless, at that point Mattingly had to back his own
team.

That is why I think baseball got it wrong. You simply,
absolutely cannot throw a pitcher out of a game unless you
are 100% convinced he has intentionally thrown at someone.
Even if that’s the case it’s iffy unless he specifically
went head hunting.

It’s a 2-0 game. Kershaw had just thrown the first pitch
for a strike. He was in the middle of a one-hitter and
going for his 19th win.

Grace could not believe what he was watching. Both him and
Sutton were stunned Kershaw was being thrown out of the
game.

“Maybe the game has passed me by,” Grace said in
amazement.

It’s the unwritten rules of baseball. It’s part of the
game.

I’m guessing (but certainly do NOT feel like I’m going out
on a limb here) the Diamondbacks, Gibson and fill-in-the-
blank pitcher would have handled the situation exactly the
same. Same goes for 28 other Major League teams.

Right or wrong of Parra from the night before (remember, I
said I didn’t blame him), you have to think and anticipate
something happening the following game. It’s just the way
baseball works.

The umpires needed to either make the situation very clear
prior to the game or let it play out and take action as
needed AFTER they felt it was getting beyond their
control.

Baseball players police and take care of things themselves
between the lines. Umpires should worry about ball or
strike, fair or foul, safe or out. That’s it.

Both teams took it in their own hands to protect their
teammates. Exactly what teammates and coaches should do.

—

TY’s Outtakes

What I learned this week…

I’ll be in New York in less than 10 days and, among many
other things — including TWO Yankees-Red Sox games –, I
will be visiting the National September 11
Memorial, which just opened for the first time
this past Sunday on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11
attacks (I remember watching the TV that morning with my
mom. We watched the second tower get hit live. Most
uncanny moment of my life). I was in Lower Manhattan in
August 2003. Interested to see it now.

Tweet of the week…

This will have so many of my favorite things. Very much
looking forward to it.

A very successful person in a leadership role. Seeing and
going places we usually aren’t allowed. Involves a sports
team. Can’t wait.

Suggestion of the week…

This is just a good laugher. Technology at its finest.
Humans at their finest.

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