Things got heated at Fenway in the bottom of the fifth. Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, nicknamed Benny here, took issue with a called strike from umpire Angel Hernandez. After grounding out, Verdugo let his frustration fly with a loud comment toward Hernandez. That earned him an ejection, but not from Angel himself. It was another ump who tossed him, stepping in to defend his colleague. Verdugo protested, saying he wasn’t even addressing that ump, but the damage was done and he got the hook.
Manager Alex Cora came out firing to back up Verdugo. He let the umpires have it, pointing out past missed calls by Hernandez and questioning why Verdugo got tossed while walking away. Cora was animated, bringing the receipts on errors Angel had made earlier in the game. His movements caught attention, with a comparison made to how Drake performs on stage, all exaggerated gestures and muttering from a crouch.
After being ejected, Verdugo made sure his thoughts were heard again from the dugout steps. He shouted more insults at the crew before finally making his way off the field. No punches thrown, but the frustration with Angel Hernandez’s strike zone and quick-trigger crew was obvious. It was another game where the umpires were at the center of the story.