Phelphs-Johjima crash

[LilLeaguer]

The press reports that Washburn hit Phelps on his first pitch, but I just verified on the replay that he missed him (quite a bit inside at the waist) on the first pitch. Washburn's inability to hit the target left the umpire with a bit of a dilemma. (What it's been doing to Mariners fans this year is a different story.)

In any case, the umpire could have judged that Washburn was intentionally pitching at the batter. Heck, the whole stadium knew he was. But Mike Everitt let it play out, and even Phelps seemed to relax and let the ball hit him. On the second pitch, Washburn hit Phelps and both teams got the warning from PU.