Arizona Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo found himself ejected during Wednesday’s road matchup against the San Diego Padres after taking issue with a balk ruling against one of his pitchers.
The play occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning with runners standing at first and second base and one out on the board. Arizona rookie hurler Jose Cabrera attempted to spin away from the pitching rubber and fake a throw toward second base, where Fernando Tatis Jr. had positioned himself after drawing a walk and swiping the bag.
Plate umpire Willie Traynor determined that Cabrera failed to properly step toward second base and also noted that the pitcher’s knee buckled during the motion — both violations that qualify as balks under the rules of baseball. Lovullo stormed out to challenge the ruling, resulting in his first ejection of the current season.
With Lovullo sent to the clubhouse, bench coach Jeff Banister assumed the role of acting manager for the remainder of the game.
The controversy didn’t help Arizona’s cause on the field either. Just moments after the balk was called, Xander Bogaerts lined a two-run single into left field, pushing San Diego’s advantage to 4-1.
