By Gordon Edes | ESPNBoston.com
BOSTON -- Benches emptied Friday night in the fourth inning when Tampa Bay Rays left-hander David Price hit Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Carp with a pitch and was not ejected, plate umpire Dan Bellino evidently deciding there was no intent.
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Players emerged from both dugouts after Carp was hit, with David Ortiz pointing and yelling at Price while being restrained by Rays catcher Jose Molina. No punches were thrown.
Price had drilled Ortiz with a pitch in the first inning. Bellino immediately and emphatically warned both benches and Price. Red Sox manager John Farrell, undoubtedly incensed that Price got what was essentially a free shot at Ortiz because any retaliation by the Sox would result in immediate ejection, made his feelings known to Bellino, who then ejected the Red Sox manager.
During the fourth-inning skirmish, bench coach Torey Lovullo -- who was running the Sox in the absence of Farrell -- erupted in fury at the decision not to eject Price, and soon was following Farrell down the runway as he, too was ejected by Bellino.
Third-base coach Brian Butterfield became Boston's third manager of the night, with first-base coach Arnie Beyeler shifting to third and assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez taking over at first. Butterfield also received an automatic ejection in the sixth inning when Red Sox starter Brandon Workman was tossed from the game for throwing behind Evan Longoria. That left hitting coach Greg Colbrunn as the acting Red Sox manager. Burke Badenhop replaced Workman with the Rays leading, 2-1.
Rule 8.02 in the Major League Rules addresses the issue of pitchers throwing at batters and allows for the umpires to have discretion whether a pitcher is throwing at a hitter, even after warnings have been issued.
The rule states: 'Whether the pitch was intentional or not is up to the umpire's judgment. In exercising their judgment, umpires have been instructed to be mindful that, given the skill level of most Major League pitchers, a pitch that is thrown at the head of a hitter more likely than not was thrown there intentionally. Umpires have been instructed to bear this presumption in mind in deciding whether a pitch was intentional.'
Red Sox reporter, ESPNBoston.com
Posted by Unknown on Friday, May 30, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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