Would you have tossed him?
 

If anyone saw the Yankees/Redsox day game today, Joba Chamberlain threw two consecutive pitches over Kevin Youkalis' head. At the time, there was one out in the ninth inning with the Yankess leading 5-0. Nothing in the game or really even prior in the series would have made the Yankees want to throw at Youkalis.

Well Angel Hernandez steps out from behind the plate after the second pitch and tosses Chamberlain. I was kinda surprised as I was watching the game and it just didn't seem to me that Chamberlain had any intent to hit Youkalis.

I'm curious as to what you guys would have done in that situation.

For what it's worth, Chamberlain just looked stunned when Angel tossed him. I'm not even sure this 21 year old rookie realized what happened at first. Talk about a deer in headlights look, it was kinda funny.

That's Angel being Angel (at least from what I've heard about him - don't know the man personally).

I doubt seriously this kid had any intention of hitting Uke. I'm sure it was more nerves and lack of control than anything. A comment to Georgie to go talk to him would have been enough IMO.

After the first one, though the announcers claimed that the ball got away, I had my doubts. But the second one was definitely on purpose. The step and the arm were obviously aimed toward Youkilis, not the plate. You can almost always tell when a ball gets away—and that one didn't.

Let's, see. Chamberlain was hitting the mark fairly well. Posada setting up outside, pitch over Uke's head. Maybe Chamberlain got wild. Posada sets up outside, pitch obver Uke's head again..... hummmmm


GONE!

Did you watch the game? That was not a wild pitch nor did he just all-of-a-sudden lose control. If you watched his release, the pitch was exacty where he wanted it; at Youk's head.

Deer in the headlights? You betcha! FNG thought he could fool Angel and got caught and spanked!

Kudos to Youk for not escalating. It was fun to watch that idiot get ejected.:cool:

Yep, I'dve ejected him too.

There's definitely a history there that I'm sure the umpires are aware of. The Red Sox have been accused of head hunting at Yankee batters (expecially ARod), with very little or no retaliation from NY.
Word is that Clemens has taken Jaba under his wing. Hmm. I wonder where he got the idea to take out Youkilis?

Do you really think that Torre is going to send his, arguably, best reliever out there to throw at Youkilis considering that there is really no reason behind it. Seriously, Chamberlain is a kid. He's 21, a rookie who's just happy to be there. Nothing in the game or the series would warrant retaliation of that sort. That is what is mystifying is that there wasn't anything that happened that you would expect that kind of retaliation for. You really think that up 5-0, after having won 2 games and on the verge of winning a third that Torre wants to give the Redsox ANY reason to get fired up? Especially by throwing at a guys head.

If it's Clemens that did it or Proctor (who is now gone) I could see it. A veteran pitcher might do something like that. But a wet behind the ears rookie? Torre wasn't to happy when Proctor retaliated by plunking someone a couple months back and that was at least warranted. I just can't see Chamberlain doing that intentionally. Not on his own. And if Torre ordered it, he would own up to it. Not directly of course, that would be stupid, but you would be able to read between the lines during his answers in the post game interviews.

I just think Chamberlain tried to overthrow and the ball got away from him. Twice in basically the same spot looks bad, I agree. I just don't see it as intentional.

I may not like the ejection, but I can see why Hernandez would throw him out.

Proctor did do it, and to Youkilis. It resulted in Proctor being ejected back in June.

Maybe Youkilis had some comments regarding being called out for running out of the base line in avoiding A-Rod's tag earlier in the game. I don't know how you can state so adamantly that nothing happening in the game warranted an ejection for two pitches up and in from Chamberlain.

Cousins' was apparently watching closer than you. He said if you are going to pitch at that level, you need to be better at hitting the strike zone, and that it was time to put a lid on it.

Good ej, in my opinion.

:confused: :confused:
Mixed bag of comments.

Bottom line - toss him.

It's always OK to eject Yankees, just on general principles. You see, they exude this feeling of entitlement, as if baseball were their game...:p

This "wet behind the ears" rookie is a 21 year old Major League pitcher. By working his way up through MiLB, he has shown that he can control his pitches.

One pitch gets away, two pitches gets you ejected and maybe even your @$$ beat...

Good ejection.

Not one of us knows everything that went on (or was said) on the field. So to say that "nothing happened during the game or series" that would cause F1 to throw at a batter is a bold assertion for one to make having not been on the field for those three games.

Others can continue to make Angel comments ("Angel being Angel")...meanwhile, Angel will, likely, continue to pick up additional World Series logo patches to keep putting on his pullovers in the future.

dont you think if Joba wanted to send a message he would of hit Ortiz instead of waiting for Youkilis. Some of the comments you guys make are way off base, makes me think your Boston fans who are upset that they got swept, relax guys your still up five games.

The poor young man was most likely trying to overthrow the ball, the ball mightve been wet.

Maybe that being the wet-behind the ears rookie that he is, Chamberlin decided to throw at Youk on his own accord. Maybe Youk insulted his momma, maybe Angel only had one more ejection to go before he got his free toaster.

Flores, are you a Yankee fan by chance?

I would've run him.

He he he... a wet ball during an afternoon game at Yankee Stadium? It was 85* and sunny ... he he he:rolleyes:

:) you got me there buddy, yes I am Yankee fan....but all jokes aside I dont think it was intentional. Only Joba knows but we will see in a couple of weeks if it escalates into anything. I only think the Red Sox made so much noise about it is to deflect the fact they got there a$$ handed to them.

He!!, Gaylord Perry could throw a wet ball on a 107* day in the middle of a drought in a domed stadium.:D

Maybe some of the wetness behind his ears dripped onto the ball.

But when does he have to wipe his ear? When he's on the dirt circle or is it when he's on the rubber?

Hey Garth, I remember watching Gaylord and his famous [infamous?] spitball!

If it was Gaylord, that would have given Angel another option to ej!:D

It's not the heat, it's the humidity ;)

2 things are certain from that game: Yuke ran out of the baseline and Jaba was headhunting.

Not if they were trying to send a message to Youkilis...

He was throwing right where he was aiming. Why would this guy want to throw at Ortiz? He doesn't want to get pounded into the ground, does he? Of course he threw a Youk. Everybody throws at Youk. I don't know why, other than they sure won't throw at Big Papi.

Sure, we're Sox fans, but bigger than that, we are Yankee haters.:)

Arguably the funniest thing I've read here in some time now. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Poor young man...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Trying...to...overthrow...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

(Garth, do I owe a royalty for that?)

Both balls were wet? Hmmmmmm. Angel gave him a new ball after the first one he aimed at Youkilis' dome. I might buy one wet ball, but not two!

One ball over the head that "gets away" I might excuse if in my judgement there was no reason for it. TWO in rapid succession earns an ejection, especially at the higher levels of ball. If the thought goes through MY mind that he's throwing at him, I know it's going through a lot of other minds as well - one of those might be the opposing manager and pitcher.
It's called preventative umpiring.

JJ

You, and most others, make a good point, which is why I don't disagree with the ejection, because I absolutely can see your point of view. I still don't believe though, that Chamberlain was actually throwing at Youkilis though.

In general, this ejection just annoys me to no end because of the what happened earlier in the year to the Yankees when the Blue Jays threw at A-Rod when he was back at their home field. With the whole yelling at the third baseman situation that happened previously, you had to know that they were gonna hit him. So one pitch goes behind him or at his feet (can't remember which) and then another pitch hits him and nothing is done about it. I and everyone in the park knew that they were throwing at A-Rod intentionally and they missed him with the first one and the plunked him with the second one and no one was ejected.

That is crap. You want to eject for pitchers throwing at someone when there is no obvious provocation, fine. But when everyone damn well knows it's coming and then the batter is hit, after missing once, someone should be tossed!

MLB and MLB umpires need to be more consistent and enforce the rules the same for everyone. If you are gonna eject Chamberlain, then that Toronto pitcher should have gone as well, particularly since that was a much more obvious, clear cut case.

IIRC that series also had Angel's crew working it....seems a little odd that they would handle 2 similar situations very differently.