ATLANTA – The Braves got a win in their homestand opener Thursday night against the Mets, and the Turner Field crowd got a throwback-Thursday moment of sorts when interim manager Brian Snitker was ejected and left with a fiery display reminiscent of legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox.
Adonis Garcia’s two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Braves to a 4-3 win to start a 10-game homestand. It was their seventh win in eight games including four in a row against the Mets, whom they swept last week in New York.
Before Garcia’s homer on an 0-2 pitch from reliever Addison Reed, Snitker had sent a charge through the crowd with his emotional reaction to a umpire-review decision.
With the Braves trailing 3-2 and two runners in scoring position in the seventh inning, Ender Inciarte hit a fly ball that left fielder Michael Conforto caught in foul territory. Emilio Bonifacio tagged up and was called out on a close play at the plate when he slid into catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who was on top of the plate.
Replays showed that Bonifacio’s knee might have touched the plate before the tag, but the call was confirmed upon video review, as umpires ruled the tag was made before he touched the plate and also that d’Arnaud – the brother of Braves utility player Chase d’Arnaud – did not violate the home-plate collision rule.