WASHINGTON – As soon as Dave Martinez saw umpire Marty Foster eject Anthony Rendon on Saturday, the Nationals rookie manager accelerated out of his dugout faster than most 53-year-old men would dare.
Martinez got in Foster's face. He yelled and gestured at the plate. Foster eventually ejected him, too, which prompted Martinez to throw his cap and kick some dirt before watching the final six innings of a 3-2 loss to the Mets from his office.
Rendon didn't appear to say anything to coax his third-inning ejection. After taking a called strike three, the third baseman flipped his bat in the batter's box looking away in silence.
"I don't think my mouth even opened to chew gum," he said. "It's pretty funny."
Martinez was given a few seconds to get in Foster's face to communicate his discontent, gestures included, before his ejection, which jacked Martinez's display to another level. Fired up, he let loose. The outburst energized the frozen crowd. As Martinez continued venting, crew chief Joe West calmly picked up his cap and dusted it off. He gave it back to Martinez when he was done.
"Awesome. That's what it's all about," Washington star Bryce Harper said. "… He's a manager that you want to fight for, you want to win for."
WASHINGTON POST
