Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected during the eighth inning of a 4-1 loss to the Angels on Monday night after arguing balls and strikes with umpire Laz Diaz, and he definitely got his money’s worth before being run.
Girardi was upset over a low pitch called a strike on Brett Gardner with the bases loaded, nobody out and a 1-0 count in a 1-1 game. The pitch was definitely low, so Girardi had a very good reason to be upset. He came out and started to argue with Diaz about the pitch, and he was tossed after going all Tasmanian Devil.
Gardner ended up striking out, and Derek Jeter grounded into a double play to end the inning, so that strike call really did change things a ton.
Girardi said after the game that he was already upset with Diaz for giving him the Mutombo finger wag earlier in the game over a complaint about balls and strikes.
“I’m not a little kid and I don’t need to be scolded,” Girardi said of the finger wag after the game. “No one’s coming to see Laz, I can tell you that.”
We definitely side with Girardi on this argument. But we also appreciate Diaz getting Girardi all fired up, because seeing him furiously bob his head back-and-forth like a woodpecker on crystal meth was pretty enjoyable.
