Ejection

[just another ref]

Yesterday, local quarterfinal playoff game. Home leading by 2. Bottom of the 6th, 2 out. Little chopper to 2b. Easy play, but pretty close. Now comes the fun part. There was contact between the runner and the first baseman. I didn't see the play enough to describe in detail, but the guy next to me said the runner actually initiated the exchange with a little swipe/poke at the 1B's midsection. 1B retaliated with, judging by the ump's demonstration to the coach, what could be described as a forearm shiver. This looked even worse because the 1B was a head taller and considerably heavier than the runner. Ump, without hesitation, pointed and signaled gone. Bad situation any way you look at it, but made even worse by the fact that the ejected player was the cleanup hitter, who we are told had 17 homers to his credit, and was due up 3rd in the top of the 7th. A near riot ensued with at least one visiting fan being removed from the premises, followed by a second call for the plate ump to have some more sent away from the fence because they were "harassing my man at first." I can't say the call was right or wrong, but I can say it was huge. What are the written guidelines, and what is the thought process for some of you on an ejection in this situation? The punishment seemed harsh for the crime in my opinion. It wasn't a punch. Nobody got knocked to the ground. The whole exchange took a fraction of a second. As I picture it, if this took place during a dead ball in a basketball game, it would not have been worthy of a whistle. Step between. "Take it easy guys." It's over.

No surprise, there is a guy posting on a local site about crooked umpires, letting the kids decide the game, etc. I don't even know where the ump in question is from, but I don't believe for a second that it was remotely a factor.

Thanks in advance for opinions.