Justin Turner was ejected by home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild during the fourth inning of the series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies. It was Turner’s fourth career ejection, all of which have come with the Dodgers.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts immediately sprinted out of the dugout in protest but to no avail. The ejection came midway through Max Muncy’s at-bat, which included a called strike on a similarly borderline pitch.
Turner was standing alongside the Dodgers hitting coaches in his usual spot in the dugout when he was tossed. He had taken issue with a pitch that appeared off the plate being called for strike.
Turner grounded out one pitch after having what appeared to be a cordial conversation with Fairchild. Even with some frustration, all indications were the veteran umpire had a quick hook.
Per @alannarizzo, Justin Turner didn't say anything out of line or unusual. https://t.co/uv6xbyIikw
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) June 22, 2019
Turner flied out in his first at-bat of the game. Both pitches he saw were over the heart of the plate.
Prior to Friday, Turner’s last ejection came in September 2017, when Fairchild threw Turner out of a game, also at Dodger Stadium. In his postgame interview Turner maintained Fairchild called a pitch out of the zone for strike but regretted getting ejected.
#I #Wish #Someone #Had #A #Camera #On #My #Face #Just #Now #Disappointed #LeadByExample #NotAppreciated #Violence #TemperTantrum #Inaction #NotTolerated #MakeanExampleof #OneGameSuspension #RepeatOffender #Nonsense
— Kourtney Turner (@court_with_a_K) June 22, 2019
With Turner out of the game, the Dodgers inserted Kiké Hernandez at second base and moved Max Muncy over to third. A roster move earlier in the day to recall Matt Beaty again gave them a four-man bench after they opted for nine relief pitchers in the series finale against the San Francisco Giants.