Manny in the Big Apple
NEW YORK — Booed most of the night, Manny Ramirez let plate umpire John Hirschbeck have the final say.
Yer out!
After watching another strike three, the Los Angeles Dodgers star dropped his bat, tossed his helmet and flung his elbow pad Tuesday night. That little show got him ejected, not that he seemed to mind.
"I didn't want to throw even more fire. I just walked away," Ramirez said. "I only play five innings, so I was leaving anyway."
Besides, he'd already done enough damage before getting tossed in the fifth inning. He drove in three runs with a pair of singles, and the Dodgers romped past the New York Mets 8-0.
Hours before gametime, Ramirez walked into the clubhouse, spotted the waiting flock and broke into a familiar grin.
"Whoa. Whoa," the Dodgers' main man said. "Most wanted."
Far from his fans in Southern California, Ramirez received a less-than-sunny reception in his first at-bat. That said, the flailing Mets drew a much harsher reaction from the crowd at Citi Field.
"The fans have been great to me, especially in LA, so what can I say? I'm just blessed, wherever I go," he said.
Booed for about 20 seconds when he came up, Ramirez took a 3-2 pitch from Mike Pelfrey, chucked his bat aside and began heading toward first base. Not so fast, it was strike three.
Ramirez spun around and argued for a moment and kept barking at Hirschbeck from the dugout.
Ramirez came up the next inning, met Hirschbeck with a smile and spread his hands about a foot apart — it looked like an indication the disputed pitch missed the plate. But the crew chief said Ramirez told him it was indeed strike three.
"I said, 'thanks, I appreciate it,"' Hirschbeck said.
Up with the bases loaded and two outs, Ramirez shattered his bat with a two-run single, and added an RBI single his next time up.
But in the fifth, Ramirez wasn't so jolly after striking out with the bases loaded. He was halfway through the infield when Hirschbeck took inventory of what Ramirez had thrown and tossed him.
