Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli let his emotions fly in extra innings Thursday, and it earned him an early walk to the clubhouse.
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Baldelli was ejected in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Target Field after a heated dispute over a strikeout call. Minnesota had the tying run on second with no outs when catcher Ryan Jeffers fouled off an 0-2 pitch.
Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler caught the ball cleanly, according to home plate umpire John Bacon, ending the at-bat on an automatic third strike. Baldelli saw it differently. He charged from the dugout, insisting the ball had hit the dirt before Dingler secured it.
On the Bally Sports North broadcast, Baldelli could be heard telling Bacon, "No f—ing way! You f—ed it up!" The umpire wasted no time ejecting him, prompting Baldelli to toss his cap in frustration as he made his way off the field.
By MLB rule, a foul-tip third strike is not reviewable, so the play stood without challenge. Replays appeared to support Bacon's call, showing the ball going directly into Dingler's mitt without touching the ground.
Minnesota failed to score in the inning and dropped to 57-64 on the season. The Twins have recently traded away several key players, leaving Baldelli with a thin roster and, perhaps, looking for any spark to motivate his club.
It was Baldelli's third ejection of the year and the 16th of his managerial career. The Tigers, meanwhile, took the season series from Minnesota, winning eight of the 13 meetings.
The Twins will try to regroup Friday when they open a series against the Kansas City Royals, but on Thursday, their manager's fire was the loudest thing they had going.
