Joe Maddon ejected after terrible strike call against Reds
Joe Maddon doesn't always get ejected, but when he does, he cashes in on the moment.
The Chicago Cubs manager stepped up to argue a called strike during Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds and was quickly given the thumb.
Maddon's ejection came in the bottom of the second after a highly questionable call on a pitch by Brandon Finnegan. Finnegan's throw seemed to drop low and outside for a fourth ball against David Ross, prompting the Cubs' veteran catcher to toss his bat and remove his ankle pad in anticipation of a walk.
But home plate umpire Jerry Meals called a strike, confusing Ross and bringing Maddon to the top of the dugout for some clarification. Looking at the MLB footage, it didn't take Meals long to toss Maddon, hitting the Cubs manager with his second ejection of the season.
After that, Maddon got his money's worth and went in on Meals for a very upset, but relatively hinged discussion about his inability to see anything whatsoever.
This has the all the making of a classic Motivational Maddon Meltdown--dog days of summer, down four against a team they should beat the tar out of, needing the crew to refocus.
And it worked, sort. The Cubs clubbed in four runs in the third, but went on to bleed out five more runs against Cincinnati. As of this writing, Chicago's down 9-5 in the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley.
Dan is on Twitter. The yelling will continue until excellence is resumed.
