ATLANTA — David Freese had no regrets about the argument that led to he and Clint Hurdle being ejected during the fourth inning of the Pirates' 5-2 loss to the Braves.
What Freese didn't understand was home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi's quick decision to throw him out Monday night at SunTrust Park when he expressed his disagreement from the third-base dugout after a called third strike.
"I just left the dish and said, ‘You really got that there?’," Freese told reporters afterward. "He said, ‘Yeah.’ I went and looked and I felt like it was off far enough to come back out and let him know. I thought the hook was quick. I didn’t appreciate it."
Freese struck out on a check swing in the second inning, walking away quickly before Cuzzi could check with first base umpire Nic Lentz to confirm the third strike call. The second strikeout on a four-seam fastball on the outside corner irritated him, though.
Freese fell behind to Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz 0-2 before drawing back-to-back balls. He then fouled off three pitches before holding off on what was called the third strike:
Freese went back to the dugout to watch the replay. After giving it a quick look, he then yelled from the dugout to Cuzzi after the third pitch of the following at-bat to John Jaso.
Cuzzi was caught on camera yelling back, "Come on! You know better than that, and he knows better than that." Hurdle exited the dugout first to speak with Cuzzi, and Freese was not far behind:
It was the 52nd ejection of Hurdle's managerial career and his first this season. The television broadcast caught him saying, "Let him play," but Hurdle declined to tell reporters the nature of the conversation.
"You know what? You could probably catch video from the game," he said with a smile. "You might even be able to get some audio. Draw your own conclusions."
Bench coach Tom Prince took over as acting manager, and Josh Harrison shifted from second base to third with Alen Hanson taking Freese's spot in the lineup.
Though Hanson had a single in the sixth inning, the ejection led to one of the Braves' five runs. With runners on first and second, Nick Markakis hit a hard one-hopper to Harrison at third, but Harrison was unable to handle it.
The error allowed a runner to score, and Matt Adams hit a two-run homer two batters later. Hanson also nearly misplayed a ground ball in the sixth inning.
Freese said he did not have an issue with Cuzzi disagreeing with him, but he expected to have a longer leash considering he's an eight-year veteran and had a positive relationship with Cuzzi in the past:
Freese was not the only Pirates hitter to have an issue with Cuzzi's strike zone. Jordy Mercer stopped to argue a third strike in the sixth inning when Cuzzi declined to check with Lentz at first to see if Mercer's bat had crossed the plate on a check swing.
Even one of the best players in the history of the Braves' franchise took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with Cuzzi's decision:
Another umpire with terrible eyesight, but excellent hearing..........Weird!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) May 23, 2017