Joe Girardi was ejected in the eighth inning of Monday night's game between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels after getting in a vociferous argument with home plate umpire Laz Diaz over a called strike.
In a 1-1 game, Diaz, who has had run-ins with the Girardi in the past, called a 1-0 pitch from Jered Weaver a strike, although it appeared to be a little bit low.
"I mentioned to Laz in a respectful way that I thought the pitch was up to Kelly Johnson earlier in the game and he gave me the Mutombo,'' Girardi said, imitating a wagging index finger. "I don't appreciate that. I'm not a little kid. I don't need to be scolded. Obviously we're trying to work together and I just thought there were a lot of inconsistencies tonight.
"It's the biggest pitch of the game to that point,'' Girardi said of the 1-0 to Gardner that Diaz called a strike. "It's a lot different, 2-0. It changes the whole at-bat. Now the pressure is clearly on the pitcher."