Caleb Joseph, like Manny Machado, was quite upset after a game against the Boston Red Sox.
But Joseph chose to use a bit more tasteful language than his Baltimore Orioles teammate.
The Orioles catcher blew a gasket Wednesday night after home plate umpire Sam Holbrook ejected his pitcher, Kevin Gausman, for hitting the Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts with a curveball in the second inning. After the game, a 4-2 Boston win at Fenway Park, Joseph had the audacity to call Holbrook’s decision “malarkey.”
“I was shocked,” Joseph told reporters, via MASNSports.com. “I just could not believe that that would happen, and I have to sit here and answer questions while the Red Sox are on their way home, and it’s malarkey.
“It’s a bunch of malarkey. It’s unacceptable. It’s too bad, too bad.”
Holbrook and his crew were on high alert, given the laundry list of incidents between the clubs of the last few days. But Joseph was incensed partly because Gausman’s ejection forced Baltimore go to its bullpen in the second inning.
“The reason that I got so upset is because yes, the in-game decision is very important, but there’s ripples we’re going to have to deal with for the next five, six, seven days,” Joseph added. “We had to cover (seven) innings in the bullpen, and that’s huge. That can set a team back five or six days. Sam’s a fine guy, a good umpire, but (Wednesday) night, he missed a call.
Most importantly, Joseph couldn’t believe his pitcher got the hook for throwing an off-speed pitch.
“It is frustrating,” Joseph added. “We’re trying to play ball here. The guy throws a curveball. He’s got 97 (mph) in the tank. You’re going to choose to hit him with 77? Give me a break, give me a break.
“I’m not trying to bury Sam here. We’re so ready for this thing to be over. We’re so ready. I’m the most excited person to get the hell out of Boston. Get on with it and get out of here. Let’s just get out of here and play ball.”
Joseph won’t get his wish quite yet, as the Orioles and Red Sox square off one more time Thursday night at Fenway. And if history is any indication, there might be more malarkey to come.
Thumbnail photo via  Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
