Just a few days after praising Torii Hunter for doing something very few star athletes would do, we’re talking about him for a bad reason. Hunter continued his hot hitting by bashing a two-run home run to center in the first against the Tigers. In the 8th however, Hunter lost it. Torii didn’t like the called strike on the first pitch of his at-bat against Ryan Perry and let home plate umpire Ron Kulpa know about it. Hunter proceeded to take called strikes on the next two pitches and was punched out on a fastball low in the zone. He began arguing with Kulpa and got ejected after his helmet touched Kulpa’s face. Here’s the Torii Hunter ejection video and stick with it for the money shot at the end:
Emptying the ball bag onto the field was the cap to a rare moment for Torii but he certainly got his money’s worth. What really bothered Hunter is the over exaggeration by Kulpa after the helmet bumped him in the face. I’m guessing a suspension is forthcoming but hopefully it won’t be more than a game. Hey, the Angels need all the help they can get in their struggled to get over .500.
Sources:
Torii Hunter shows some pop, and pops off, for Angels in 4-2 win over Tigers [LA Times]
Video Credit: YouTube user TalkLAsports
