Get out of the way, blue.
Reds pitcher Caleb Ferguson did not mince his words after umpire Bill Miller obstructed a fielder, turning what should have been a groundout into a single in Cincinnati’s 8-0 road loss to the Mariners.
“F–king fatass, get out of the way. Fat motherf–ker,” Ferguson seemingly said.
Ferguson was one strike away from ending a dismal seventh inning at the time of the incident after Seattle already plated six runs in the inning off him and Pierce Johnson to turn a 1-0 hole into a 7-0 deficit.
Mariners right fielder Victor Robles hit a soft grounder toward the shortstop side of second base, with second baseman Edwin Arroyo trying to make a play but running into Miller instead.
The ball then squeaked by to give the Mariners runners on the corners, but they ultimately did not score when the next batter, Luke Raley, struck out on three pitches.
Cameras captured Ferguson talking out loud about Miller while he faced the umpire and waited to be given a ball.
The incident only worsened Ferguson’s mood after he had given up a grand slam to Cal Raleigh on his second batter of the day to give Seattle a 7-0 lead.
In a move that surprised both both Raleigh and Mariners manager Dan Wilson, Ferguson had been instructed to intentionally walk Dominic Canzone to get to Raleigh.
“It’s not a comfortable situation either way,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Saying that, I’d do that every time. We have to try to keep them from scoring more. Second and third, a guy [Canzone] with a [.993] OPS against lefties, we’re going to have to play the infield in.”
Ferguson was pulled after the Raley strikeout, ending his day having allowed three hits, two runs, and one walk spanning two outs, which inflated his ERA to 3.98.
The loss dropped the Reds to 45-54 and they sit in last place in the National League Central.
On the bright side, the Reds recently signed their emerging ace Chase Burns to a seven-year, $105 million extension, tied for the biggest contract for a pitcher in team history.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
