Joe Maddon was ejected from Game 4 of the NLCS Wednesday after a strikeout was overturned by the umpires.
Curtis Granderson was up with a runner on first and one out in the top of the eighth and his Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the Chicago Cubs 3-2.
Granderson swung at a 2-2 breaking ball that bounced in the dirt and was caught by Willson Contreras. Home plate umpire Jim Wolf initially said Granderson had struck out to make it two outs in the inning. But Granderson would not go quietly and kept insisting that he fouled off the pitch.
Replays seemed to show he missed the pitch, but manager Dave Roberts came out to fight on Granderson’s behalf anyhow.
Wolf ended up asking the rest of his crew for help, and third base umpire Joe Cooper reportedly said Granderson had tipped the ball. After conferring with his crew, Wolf declared it a foul tip, which brought Granderson back up with a 2-2 count.
Maddon was furious over the call and came roaring out of the dugout. He lost his mind, got his money’s worth arguing with the umpires and was eventually ejected.
Granderson returned to finish his at-bat and whiffed on the next pitch to officially strikeout. Wade Davis stayed in the game for the Cubs and eventually escaped the inning without allowing a run to keep it at a 3-2 score.
The incident marked Maddon’s second ejection of the series, as he was tossed in Game 1 for arguing a Buster Posey ruling.
