CINCINNATI (AP) – Joey Votto just went berserk.
The Reds star erupted after a called strike and got ejected, with teammates and even an umpire needing to hold him back Wednesday night in Cincinnati’s 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Votto was tossed by plate umpire Bill Welke while the Reds were trying to rally in the eighth. The 2010 NL MVP slammed down his batting helmet after strike two, hollering and gesturing as he went nose-to-nose with Welke.
“”My understanding is that Joey asked for time and Welke didn’t grant it,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “That’s what got it started.”
“I know that Joey looked over to the dugout and that’s my sign to get out there. He was already ejected before I could get there. Our argument is that if someone asks for time he should get it. Joey handled the situation professionally until he got upset,” he said. “You can argue about how you act when you’re upset. Joey was upset. Bill was upset. I was upset. There were a lot of upset people out there.”