D-backs manager Torey Lovullo reveals what he said in ejection vs. Braves

Not all ejections are created equal.

Some are a little peculiar — like Madison Bumgarner getting tossed after getting his throwing hand checked following the first inning in Miami earlier this season.

And others are a little more justified — like Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s ejection in Monday’s 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday.

“‘Who in the (expletive) do you think you are?'” Lovullo told Burns & Gambo on Tuesday of what he said to home plate umpire John Libka to get tossed.

Zac Gallen wasn't happy with a call by the home plate umpire

After the at bat, the umpire tried to approach Gallen on the mound which led to Torey Lovullo getting ejected pic.twitter.com/mkB7jNX3n0

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 31, 2022

The manager added that after coaching players for a few years — such as Gallen since 2019 — he can recognize when his players start to become frustrated.

And once Lovullo realized the right-handed starter’s agitation with a few close calls from Libka, he decided to give the umpire a piece of his mind.

“I felt like I needed to get out there as fast as I probably could to protect the guys,” Lovullo said. “I got their back and they know that and it’s my responsibility to get out there and take the load off of them and go to bat for the team and that’s what I did (Monday).”

Rookie catcher Jose Herrera had to get in front of Libka to prevent the umpire from walking to the mound once Gallen turned his back.

And as soon as the umpire began to point his finger in the direction of the D-backs starter, Lovullo decided that he had seen enough.

“I felt like he was chasing down and stalking our players when they’re supposed to defuse things. They’re supposed to deescalate and kind of back out — they can say what they need to say and get things under control — but the manner in which he continued to charge and press forward was a little uncomfortable to me,” Lovullo said. “And then he started pointing in one of my player’s faces and that’s where I drew the line.

“His pointer came out, my pointer came out. I’m not a pointer, but at that point and time, I was going to do to him what I thought he was doing to our athletes and I told him just to back down and that’s unacceptable. … Every single day while I’m the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, I will have these players’ backs.”

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