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Last night, Dodgers (5 games behind Arizona in NL West) up 4-0 against Reds in bottom 9th. Their best closer Eric Gagne gives up 2-run homer to Aaron Boone. Up comes Adam Dunn. Head-high pitch hits Dunn in arm. Without warning Dan Iassogna of Gerry Davis's crew ejects Gagne. All hell breaks loose, with Manager Tracy also getting ejected.
Every player involved--L.A. Times: "Even Dunn disputes ump's call"--insists that Gagne would never have intentionally hit Boone to put tying run at plate. Catcher La Duca: "But if you know anything about baseball, you don't make that call. It's a horrible call. We're trying to hit a guy to get to the winning run? It's so ridiculous, it's asinine. [Iassogna] didn't think of the situation." Gagne: "Nobody in the world would have done that. You don't bring the tying run to the plate on purpose. That's baseball, and everyone know's that. . . . Has [Iassogna] been umpiring before?" L.A. Times (in its typically snide tone): "Iassogna [is] one of 23 triple-A umpires assigned to work major-league games this past spring."
Iassogna says, "MLB has put an emphasis on . . . pitchers intentionally throwing at batters . . . after a home run."
Whose right? Eject Gagne as per MLB-umpiring emphasis? Or should the umpire analyze the situation and intricate baseball tactics to determine if ejection is appropriate?
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