SEATTLE — For the second time in a week, Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez watched the end of a game on television back in the clubhouse.
At least this time, Martinez watched a Nationals victory.
Martinez was ejected in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners for arguing a play at the plate, where Keibert Ruiz was called out for running out of the baseline.
It was the second time in six days that Martinez got tossed from a game, after being ejected last week against Arizona for arguing balls and strikes.
In this case, Martinez said he was trying to protect Ruiz from getting tossed, but the skipper was still baffled by the call from plate umpire Derek Thomas.
“Honestly, I’ve been in the major leagues for 38 years, I’ve never seen that call. I mean, I really haven’t,” Martinez said after his team’s 4-1 victory.
Martinez immediately ran out from the dugout after Thomas said Ruiz went too far out of the baseline to avoid a tag from Seattle catcher Tom Murphy. Ruiz was attempting to score from first on a double by Dominic Smith.
Martinez was animated in his argument and it didn’t take long for Thomas to eject the Washington manager. Crew chief Mark Carlson eventually stepped in before Martinez left the field.
“The reason why I went out there so heated up because I didn’t want Keibert to get thrown out of the game. He’s our backup catcher if anything happens,” Martinez said. “But the initial call was he was outside the line. I’ve seen way worse than that, guys sliding, running around the side of home plate. But he saw something different.”
Speaking to a pool reporter after the game, Carlson said if the runner goes more than 3 feet outside the baseline the runner establishes to avoid a tag, he is in jeopardy of being called out.
“The runner establishes his own line. So it’s not 3 feet from the foul line itself. It’s 3 feet from the lane the runner has established,” Carlson said.
Martinez got tossed last week against Arizona for arguing balls and strikes, his first ejection this season. He kicked dirt near the plate and crouched in response to being tossed by crew chief Doug Eddings.
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