Angry Larry Bowa was right to call out umpire
During Tuesday night’s 6-5 loss to the Mets, Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa was ejected after an argument involving a perceived “quick pitch” from Mets reliever Hansel Robles to outfielder Jeff Francoeur.
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During Tuesday night's 6-5 loss to the Mets, Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa was ejected after an argument involving a perceived "quick pitch" from Mets reliever Hansel Robles to pinch-hitter Darin Ruf.
Jake Kaplan has the details:
When Darin Ruf looked up to get ready for Hansel Robles' first pitch, it was already en route to home plate. Umpire Dan Bellino called timeout and ruled the pitch would not count, but the Phillies dugout was already incensed.
Larry Bowa was at the heart of the benches-clearing commotion in the seventh inning of the Phillies' 6-5 loss to the first-place New York Mets on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies bench coach was ejected by Bellino, who warned both teams. Robles, the Phillies thought, had done the same thing the night before on a two-strike pitch to Cameron Rupp.
After his ejection, Bowa made his feelings known to Bellino with an expletive-fueled tirade making the rounds on social media:
Yes, Bowa went a bit crazy, and yes he is known for his short fuse and colorful language. But was he right?
The New York Post's Jonathan Lehman posted MLB's rules, which make it clear Robles was wrong when he threw a pitch at a batter who wasn't looking:
'Rule 8.01 b) The Set Position. Comment: With no runners on base, the pitcher is not required to come to a complete stop when using the Set Position. If, however, in the umpire's judgment, a pitcher delivers the ball in a deliberate effort to catch the batter off guard, this delivery shall be deemed a quick pitch, for which the penalty is a ball. See Rule 8.05(e) Comment.'
'Rule 8.05(e) Comment: A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter's box. With runners on base the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted.'
The umpire quickly called the toss no pitch, but according to league rules, Ruf should have been awarded ball one.
Was it worth an expletive-fueled tirade by the Phillies hot-headed bench coach? Probably not, but at least he was right.