Torii Hunter gave us one of the best freak-outs ever after being ejected
By JOHN DORN
Noted grumpy old man Torii Hunter is wrapping up his career with the Minnesota Twins this year, and is currently mired in an 0-for-11 skid at the plate. That 11th hitless at-bat on Wednesday, though, caused a tiny bit of friction between Hunter and home plate umpire Mark Ripperger.
After taking a called strike three in the eighth inning, while trailing 7-2, the 39-year-old immediately stormed back behind the plate and was tossed after a brief exchange. But that's when the fun got started.
Twins manager Paul Molitor joined the party, not to remove his player from the argument, but to also get ejected and open a separate debate with the umpiring crew. After being guided toward the dugout, Hunter decided to push the envelope just a bit further before his exit, by unloading his personal belongings onto the field in all separate directions. Jerseys were removed.
After hitting the showers, Hunter explained the lead-up to his PG-rated, on-field strip-down. Via MLB.com:
"We have bad days, all of us. As hitters, pitchers, even umpires have bad days and he had one," Hunter said of Ripperger. "All you need to do is just look at the video and decide for yourself."
A bit of an overreaction considering the pitch was probably a strike. Now 33-26, and 3-7 in June, Minnesota trails Kansas City by two games for the Central Division lead.
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