Shane Victorino came very close to going around on a check swing in the 10th inning of Thursday’s game — so close, in fact, that you could make the argument he did offer at the pitch from Joba Chamberlain.
First base umpire Joe West didn’t think Victorino went around, though, and his opinion was the only one that mattered.
Victorino, given a second life after what could have been strike three, lined the next pitch for an RBI single that helped to give the Red Sox a 9-8 win in the series opener against the Yankees. That marked the end of Chamberlain’s night not long after it began. After reaching the dugout, Chamberlain barked at West, obviously still ticked about the call.
When you continue to yell at West — one of umpiring’s biggest egomaniacs — you’re going to get the old heave-ho. That’s what happened to Chamberlain, as West casually tossed Chamberlain, then brushed him away as if to plainly say, “Run along, son.”
Chamberlain’s disdain, as you might expect, carried over into the clubhouse after the game.
“Y’all saw the replay. It kind of speaks for itself,” Chamberlain told reporters, according to ESPN.com. “It’s frustrating.”
Chamberlain also indicated that he “said enough to get ejected” in his argument with West, which isn’t saying a ton given West’s (large) rabbit ears. Then again, it wasn’t West who gave up the go-ahead single on the pitch after, either.
