Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber reached a breaking point with Angel Hernandez on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Schwarber was ejected in the ninth inning of the Milwaukee-Philadelphia series finale following a very questionable strike-three call from Hernandez. Schwarber was rung up on a Josh Hader fastball that appeared to be both down and outside, causing the eighth-year pro to two-hand slam his bat on the ground. He then fired his helmet to the turf and gave Hernandez an earful before Phillies manager Joe Girardi stepped in.
Schwarber addressed the theatrical scene after the Phillies’ 1-0 loss, which sealed a series win for the visiting Brewers.
“I’m not here to bury anyone, but it wasn’t very good,” Schwarber told reporters, per ESPN. “You wish … I don’t know how to really say it. It just wasn’t very good. Guys were doing a really good job tonight of not saying much. It just got to me to where I was going to stick up for some other guys.”
Remarks coming out of Milwaukee’s clubhouse after the game suggest Schwarber’s frustration with Hernandez was warranted.
“It was a consistently big zone. It was just a little big in a lot of areas,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “I think Schwarber said it was big on both sides. And there was bound to be somebody upset when it’s like that.”
Schwarber and the Phillies will try to bounce back Monday night when they open a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies in Philadelphia.
