On Friday night Astros manager A.J. Hinch was ejected from the Astros-Cardinals game in the first inning. The ejection came after Hinch said something to home plate umpire Angel Hernandez that Hernandez did not care for. Since that something was about the strike zone, yeah, that’s an automatic suspension because managers can’t argue balls and strikes. Whether it’s something any other umpire would let pass is an open question, of course. Hernandez has a history of having thin skin about such things.
After the ejection a long on-field argument ensued and Hinch got his money’s worth. He also slightly bumped Hernandez and C.B. Bucknor a bit. After the game, in an interview, Hinch called Hernandez “unprofessional” and “arrogant.”
Today, not surprisingly, Hinch is paying the price for all of that: he has been suspended for one game and has been fined an undisclosed amount. It’s a pretty light sentence all things considered. One gets the sense that Major League Baseball is in a position in which, while it cannot condone Hinch’s actions and response to Hernandez, it kinda understands.