In a game where it appeared very little was going right for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox, frustrations bubbled over in the bottom of the seventh inning.
With the Blue Jays down 4-0 and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. up at the plate, he took a 1-2 pitch just on the inside that home-plate umpire Gabe Morales called a strike. When a frustrated Guerrero pressed Morales for an explanation, pointing to where he felt the pitch landed, he was ejected from the game.
It was his first ejection since Aug. 30, 2019. In his last eight games, including Wednesday, Guerrero has gone 4-for-29.
Manager John Schneider made his way to the field for an explanation, but for the time being, it appeared that cooler heads had prevailed.
That is, until hitting coach Dave Popkins continued his complaints to Morales as Kirk stepped up to the plate, after which he was also ejected from the game.
It marked a boiling point for a Blue Jays team that has lost three of its last eight to diminish a once-safe division lead over the New York Yankees.
It also was the third consecutive game in which the Blue Jays had issues with the umpires. George Springer was livid Tuesday after an apparent hit down the third-base line was ruled foul and Daulton Varsho was denied a catch on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
