“Everybody knows I got hit on purpose, even their team” demanded Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez, a plunk victim of Wevie Stonder I during the 6th inning of Sunday’s 8-6 victory over the Dodgers (the Fish were leading, 8-0, at the time). As you might recall, Ramirez had previously complained of his pitching staff being a bunch of <strike>pussies</strike> Shawn Estes clones when it came to retaliation, but was quick yesterday to credit Burke Badenhop with “staying together and protecting your teammates.” From the Sun-Sentinel’s Juan C. Rodriguez :
Home plate umpire Bob Davidson ejected Badenhop and manager Fredi Gonzalez in the seventh after the right-hander drilled Orlando Hudson. Badenhop’s backside fastball came in response to Jeff Weaver requiring two attempts to plunk Hanley Ramirez an inning earlier.
Give credit to Badenhop (above) and the Marlins for their handling of the situation. Badenhop, who said he “yanked” a fastball, kept the pitch low and Hudson took his base without incident.
“It’s up to the umpire whether there’s a warning or ejection,” Gonzalez said. “The safe way is to just go warning. [Weaver] missed him one time. We play the game the right way. I understand we got an eight-run lead and the whole thing, but we’re not stealing bases or hitting and running. We’re playing the game the right way and for him to do that… it puts everybody in a situation where it’s not good baseball the rest of the game.”
Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre chose not to directly address the incident either, saying: “I can’t comment because I’m not sure where it’s going to come from, the criticism I’m talking about. So I’d rather not comment as opposed to telling you something you’re not going to believe.”
Badenhop had gone 51 innings without hitting a batter. He tapped danced a bit when asked about the fanfare upon his return to the dugout.
“I’m sure they don’t like to see Hanley get hit,” he said. “It is what it is.”