SAN DIEGO — Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto said he figures that some MLB players haven’t been ejected in their careers, but that’s not who he is.
On Saturday against the San Diego Padres, Votto got his money’s worth.
After the third base umpire ruled on a check swing for strike three, Votto shouted in the face of the umpire over a two-minute span, didn’t leave the field immediately after he was tossed and earned his 13th career ejection.
“Stuff like that happens when you're competing,” Votto said on Sunday. “I was thinking about this last night in bed, my mom always told me that I have my father's temper — my late father's temper — I was thinking about today being Father's Day. I was thinking about, would he have been proud? Yeah. For sure. Happy Father's Day everyone.”
That’s as revealing as Votto was about what happened on the field in the top of the first inning.
After third base umpire Chris Guccione called Votto’s check swing a strike, Votto walked down the third base line toward him. Then, when home plate umpire Ryan Additon said something to Votto, Votto turned around and focused his argument at Additon.
