Jonathan Papelbon is gonna get a nice big fine.
Last night, he thought he had Dee Gordon struck out looking. Home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn, however, thought differently. After the inning was over -- and after Gordon had come around to score the winning run -- Papelbon sought out Reyburn and jawed at him. But that was nothing compared to the jawing he did in the clubhouse after the game.
Upon being informed that Reyburn was a Triple-A callup ump, Papelbon said:“Doesn’t surprise me. He probably needs to go back to Triple A ... You’re up in the big leagues to do a good job and when you don’t do a good job you should be demoted or fired. It’s just like anybody’s job. If I don’t do my job, I go down to Triple A. There’s no room for that up here. It’s not a knock on the umpires. It’s the integrity of the game. You want to be able to go out there and play the game the way it should be played. All night long, from [Dodgers starter Clayton] Kershaw to [Phillies starter] Vance [Worley], all the way to the ninth inning, it affected the outcome of the game.
“I thought he was terrible – all day. It wasn’t just that pitch. All I wanted to know was if he could throw me out for what I was thinking, and if he could, I thought he sucked. It’s that simple.”
OK, that’s what he thinks. But looking at the pitches to Gordon, I’m not thinking he has a good case. The fourth pitch was called a ball and Papelbon thought it was a strike. It’s right on the edge. It was close, and maybe missed, but certainly not egregious and certainly not the kind of call that someone typically makes a federal case out of.
But Joe Torre’s gonna. And Papelbon’s wallet is gonna be a bit lighter for it. Hope his rant made him feel better.