David Ortiz had an epic meltdown on Saturday after a questionable called strike and destroyed the dugout phone with his bat. It was easily the most dramatic outburst of the year, which is why people around baseball were having fun at Big Papi’s expense at Sunday.
For starters, NESN sideline reporter Jenny Dell tweeted the photos you see above of Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster and outfielder Jonny Gomes rigging up a cup phone system in an attempt to repair the damage that Ortiz caused.
Word also spread quickly around the AL East. The Red Sox are visiting Tampa Bay on Sept. 10, and the Rays are apparently already preparing accordingly.
WANTED: Steel alloy telephone with Kevlar cord. Will spare no expense. Must install by Sept. 10.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 28, 2013
There’s probably more where that came from, and Ortiz deserves it. While he was right that home plate umpire Tim Timmons made a bad call on a 3-0 count, Papi acted like a lunatic and could have hurt himself or his teammates by smashing things in the dugout. Tossing a water cooler is one thing. Thrashing something with a bat while your teammate is within a three-foot radius is another.
