Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson went for an early shower after the umpiring crew tossed him in the sixth inning of Thursday's game against the Athletics. The drama began when longtime Mariner and current Athletic Donovan Walton went deep against his former team, hitting a Carlos Vargas sinker 392 feet for his fifth homer of the season and giving a noticeable fist pump after rounding first base. Catcher Brian Serven stepped up next for the A's, and wore a 92.3 mph cutter off of his front shoulder.
The umpiring crew got together after to discuss things after Vargas hit Serven, eventually issuing warnings to both dugouts. Wilson, understandably puzzled by the series of events, stood on the top step of the dugout with his arms out stretched. Before he could even leave the dugout, though, home plate umpire James Hoye issued him an individual warning.
"Don't even argue it," Hoye was heard saying on the broadcast. "Don't even come out, don't even come out." Wilson ignored the warning, stepping towards the plate, and Hoye tossed him before the manager even got a word out. While Wilson received ample warning prior to his ejection, not everyone agrees with the decision—especially A's commentator Dallas Braden, who went on a tirade following Wilson's dismissal.
"The reason he wants an explanation is because Vargas hit Serven in the middle of the back with a slider," A's commentator Dallas Braden said. "This guy is making his sixth appearance here in the big leagues, coming off of the injury you just mentioned [A's Commentator Chris Caray], and now warnings issued to both these clubs. "I've got to tell you, this is entirely too aggressive in my opinion.
You've got a team in the Mariners who are trying to win a ball game, they're trailing here as the game is getting later... That's the last thing they want, to get baserunners on. And the Mariners' crowd is letting them have it, and for good reason." At the time of the ejection, the Mariners trailed the A's by two runs, though they managed to pull one back in the following half-inning.
After spending most of the first few months of the season in the driver's seat in the American League playoff picture, the Mariners fell down the standings in the second half. They sat four games out of the final Wild Card spot in the AL heading into Thursday's game, and were 5.5 games back of the AL West-leading Houston Astros. In their current state, the Mariners need to win every game they can against lesser opposition, making series against opponents like the A's crucial for the remainder of their season.
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