By Danny B Sports
Major League Baseball suspended Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for bumping home plate umpire John Tumpane during Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Ortiz, who's in Boston's lineup for Tuesday's contest in Tampa Bay, will appeal the suspension.
"I have to watch that video to see what point I touched him because I don’€™t remember, to be honest with you," Ortiz told WEEI's Rob Bradford. "I don’€'t really remember. And I wasn’€™t even arguing with him. I was talking with the third base umpire. If it happened, I don’€™t know when it happened and I didn’€™t try that because trust me, I know. It might be one move that I made or whatever. But I don’€™t know."
The Red Sox slugger was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes after third base umpire Jerry Meals ruled that Ortiz committed to a low 1-1 breaking pitch from Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez.
Red Sox manager John Farrell quickly interjected, but not before Ortiz made contact with Tumpane.
"I don'€™t want to argue with umpires," he said. “I don’€™t think that’€™s what people come to see. They’€™re good guys. I don’€™t think anything they do is personal with anybody. I don’€™t see it that way at all. Things happen in the game in situations, your adrenaline is kicking in at 1000 miles per hour, you’€™re trying to win a ballgame and things happen. It happened in the game so what can you do about it."
Ortiz, who had already exchanged glares with Meals over an earlier check-swing call in the first, then furiously pleaded his case with Tumpane before receiving his first ejection since July 2013.
"He's a competitor," Farrell told reporters Sunday. "Given some of the calls over the last couple of days, there's some frustration there."
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