Down by one run with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, David Ortiz had a great opportunity to come through in the clutch (yet again) for the Red Sox against the Yankees. Unfortunately, things went pretty disastrously for Boston and their designated hitter.
After forcing the count to 3-1, Ortiz watched this pitch cross the plate. Kind of.
Home plate umpire Ron Kulpa called the pitch a strike, much to the displeasure of Ortiz, who wasn’t shy about voicing his complaints. Ortiz’s ire drew Sox manager John Farrell out of the dugout, and Farrell was quickly ejected.
The complaints may have come back to haunt Ortiz, who was called out looking on the very next pitch. This pitch:
The pitch seemed awfully low, and many wondered whether Ortiz’s strong reaction to the previous borderline call convinced Kulpa to stretch the strike zone on the following pitch.
In any case, the calls took away what could (and maybe should) have been a game-tying walk, and Ortiz chirped Kulpa as he walked back to the dugout. Kulpa responded by then ejected Ortiz, who then got heated.
Hanley Ramirez would go on to strike out in the next at-bat, ending the game in a 3-2 loss for the Red Sox.
