Crew chief Joe West ejected Washington Nationals’ General Manager Mike Rizzo from a luxury box Sunday, saying that he had yelled at the umpires.
Initial reports suggested that Rizzo — who was alone in his box at the time — had been tossed from the game for not wearing a mask. (RELATED: ‘Scared’: MLB Manager Weighs In On The Coronavirus Pandemic With A Blunt Message)
Umpire Joe West called security to apparently eject Nationals GM Mike Rizzo for not wearing a mask. pic.twitter.com/9fCYJOWJaI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2020
But West told the Associated Press that it was Rizzo’s behavior that had inspired the call, noting that he had been warned after the crew reported him for yelling at umpires during Friday’s game as well.
Washington GM Mike Rizzo ejected for yelling at the umpires from a luxury suite.
Crew chief Joe West says: “I wouldn’t take that from a player. I wouldn’t take that from a manager. If it was Donald Trump, I’d eject him, too. But I’d still vote for him.” https://t.co/M0OV8EEy4L
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) September 7, 2020
“We informed the office that if it continued we’d stop it, and we did,” West said. “Enough is enough.”
“He was saying, ‘you’re brutal’ and other things. We’re in a pandemic situation, you can hear everything,” West said, noting that because there were no fans in the stands, Rizzo’s shouting from the box could be heard clearly on the field.
The Nationals were down by six in the seventh inning when umpire Hunter Wendelstedt walked away from the plate and signaled with his thumb at Rizzo. “You’re out!” he said.
West, 67, had his umpire’s back. “I wouldn’t take that from a player. I wouldn’t take that from a manager. If it was Donald Trump, I’d eject him, too,” West explained, adding, “But I’d still vote for him.”