Warning!! It's Baaaaaack!! Off-topic Baseball Thread '08 !!

[ChuckElias]

Sox, Rays, Yanks all win last night. (Patriots got trounced, but that's a different off-topic thread.)

But did anybody happen to see the baseball gold medal game in the Olympics this morning? Korea vs. Cuba. Bottom of the ninth, one out, Korea up by a run. They give up a hit and then on a 3-0 count, ball four is called on a borderline pitch that the umpire must have judged was high. The pitcher's body language shows he obviously thought it was a strike, but he wasn't demonstrative. Next batter, ball four is called (to load the bases) on a very close pitch that I think was just low and outside.

The catcher is visibly upset and then stands up to talk nose-to-nose with the plate ump. The Korea coaches come out, there's a big discussion (although no yelling or gesturing that I could see), and when the dust settles, the catcher is ejected.

I can't imagine what must have transpired for the ump to eject a player in the bottom of the ninth in the gold medal game. It had to be pretty bad, but we didn't get to hear or see it on TV.