MLB might punish umps & players

Published 3:23 am Wednesday, August 26, 2009

DENVER — Major League Baseball might punish umpires and Colorado Rockies players for their actions during and after Monday night’s 14-inning win over the San Francisco Giants.

Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the league is looking into the matter, calling it ‘‘serious.’’

A handful of Rockies players exchanged words with the umpiring crew during and after the game.

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Second base umpire Bill Miller called Yorvit Torrealba a derogatory name while the catcher was a baserunner late in the game, the Denver Post reported. That escalated tensions on a night when both teams complained about the ball-and-strike calls of umpire Angel Campos.

After the game, which the Rockies won on Ryan Spilborghs’ grand slam, Torrealba exchanged words with Miller as the crew that included Derryl Cousins and Jim Joyce tried to work their way through the Rockies’ celebratory scrum and exit the field through a fence behind home plate, the paper reported.

On Tuesday, Torrealba said he wasn’t worried about being fined or suspended.

Torrealba explained to the paper that he bit his tongue during the game because he couldn’t risk getting thrown out, but afterward let loose on Miller for what he considered the umpire’s inappropriate remarks.