Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol did not see the end of his team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, getting ejected in the eighth inning. When the two teams met on Friday for the second game of the series, it was déjà vu.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Chicago’s Andrew Vaughn tied the game with a home run. With his next pitch, Tampa’s Zach Eflin hit Luis Robert. That prompted a brief meeting of the umpires, who ruled that both benches should be warned.
Grifol was not happy, voicing his displeasure from the dugout area. Home plate umpire Marvin Hudson put his hand up, trying to quiet Grifol but quickly threw the manager out of the game. That led to Grifol charging out of the dugout and while his argument with Grifol wasn’t long, it was intense.
The argument got the attention of baseball fans.
Grifol might have been legitimately upset. One can make a case that the warning was either too harsh or too lenient. In either case, the White Sox wouldn’t be happy.
But it has also been a rough season on the South Side thus far. The White Sox entered Friday’s game at 7-19 and on an eight-game losing streak.
So, this argument could have been as much about trying to spark something in the team as it was arguing the ruling.
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