Following his ejection from Tuesday night’s game in Milwaukee, David Ross had plenty to get off his chest. Among other gripes, the Chicago Cubs skipper voiced his disgust at blunders made by home-plate umpire Erich Bacchus, none more egregious than allowing William Contreras to reach on an infield hit despite clearly interfering with Miguel Amaya’s throw to first base.
william contreras is out of the runner's lane but home plate ump erich bacchus didn't have a problem with it and it's not reviewable pic.twitter.com/u0ylnvR6VG
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 4, 2023
“I know it’s not an easy job. But some of the pitches that got called today weren’t even close,” said Ross, who, along with first-base coach Mike Napoli, was ejected in the 10th inning for arguing a called strike on Dansby Swanson. “It’s got to be better.”
https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1676443222564823040
Ross was similarly frustrated by umpires’ decision to close the retractable roof at American Family Field, doing so midway through the game.
“They’re closing the roof to get rid of the shadows late. Just a lot of bull**** that went on today that just was really frustrating,” said Ross. “I f***ing thought it was horse****. I don’t f***ing know.”
In spite of Ross’ criticism, Bacchus received relatively strong marks for his performance Tuesday, calling balls and strikes with 96 percent accuracy.
https://twitter.com/UmpScorecards/status/1676600672500736002
Chicago would go on to win in extras, benefiting from Ian Happ’s heroics in the 11th, gunning down Owen Miller at home plate to preserve a 7-6 Cubs victory.
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1676373216829534208
Ross can expect a hefty fine for his outburst, flying off the handle in a profane rant that surely caught the attention of commissioner Rob Manfred.
About Jesse Pantuosco
Jesse Pantuosco joined Awful Announcing as a contributing writer in May 2023. He’s also written for Audacy and NBC Sports. A graduate of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master’s degree in creative writing from Fairfield University, Pantuosco has won three Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut and never misses a Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots game.