Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been fined an undisclosed amount after blowing up on the field and after Sunday’s 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not receive a suspension.
Baldelli was irate after the replay crew in New York overturned an out call on the field after Twins left-fielder Tim Beckham fired a missile to catcher Gary Sanchez to get Whit Merrifield for the final out of the tenth inning. But someone at MLB’s replay headquarters determined Sanchez illegally blocked the plate.
When umpire Marty Foster announced the call was overturned, Baldelli darted out of the Target Field dugout and went ballistic. He threw his hat, kicked dirt and screamed at the umps, later calling it a “chickenshit” decision.
“That was probably one of the most chickenshit things I’ve seen on a baseball field,” Baldelli began. “That play has not been called since the beginning of replay more than a couple of times. In all of baseball, the thousands and thousands of games and plays at home where the catcher actually does block the plate…that play has virtually never been called.
“For someone to step in that situation and ultimately make a decision that that was blocking the plate, that’s beyond embarrassing for our game, for all the players on both sides of the field working their ass off, for the entire game. It’s completely unacceptable. I can’t even believe I’m sitting here talking to you guys about this right now. It’s one of the worst moments I think we’ve seen of umpiring in any game I’ve ever been a part of in baseball. I think it was pathetic.”
I could go on and on and on about this. The umpires on the field have nothing to do with it,” Baldelli added. “Someone in New York decided that that was worthy of being overturned on the field. It’s f***ing awful. Awful. Awful. Awful.”
He later added: “We know it was bullshit.”
Bally Sports North has an edited version of Baldelli’s comments online, but the FOX 9 TV camera captured it all. You can watch it here.
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