Former Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel shrugs off ump show after Trea Turner's mom booed
No hard feelings have lingered between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Craig Kimbrel after the two sides made a clean break this offseason. All we ask, moving forward, from the erratic closer is that he handles his business any time he faces the Giants, Padres and Diamondbacks.
Unfortunately, a wayward home plate umpire got in the way of that goal being executed on Wednesday in Philadelphia -- though, luckily, Kimbrel shrugged it all off and persevered.
With the ghost runner standing behind him in the 10th inning of a tie game -- a contest the Phils evened up on a Trea Turner home run with two outs in the ninth, officially erasing a five-run deficit -- Kimbrel somehow became the only person penalized for back-to-back instances of apparent malfeasance.
Baseball's new rules have been ... fairly popular so far, especially the pitch clock (though don't tell that to Kenley Jansen). You want to make people hate the rules, though? Take a three-minute break to explain to the batter, Josh Rojas, that he did something wrong while deciding not to hold him accountable, then immediately call a violation on the home team as soon as play "resumes." This strategy works twice as well if the home team is Philadelphia and an infuriated John Kruk is on the mic.
The mess that summoned Kruk to scream, "Ah dear crap almighty!" was actually explained in measured terms by the D-Backs broadcast. Still ... we're all lucky that Kimbrel struck Rojas out and held Arizona scoreless. Otherwise, Kruk might've leapt down onto the field.
Dodgers keep pace in NL West after Craig Kimbrel, Trea Turner beat Diamondbacks
Wednesday's game had plenty of redemption for former Dodgers sprinkled throughout.
Not only did Turner even up the contest with two outs in the ninth, but he did so after one of the least visually appealing strikeouts in MLB history in his previous at-bat.
The whiff pattern was so heinous that even Turner's mom booed him, a message she texted him after the game.
As the D-Backs' somber broadcast said after Turner's ninth-inning smash, Philadelphia's crowd was "not booing anymore" after flexing their muscles two innings later.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of Turner being appreciated for his efforts in his new home. The Dodgers haven't filled the shortstop hole yet, but according to Turner's mom, neither have the Phillies.