Boros Is Ejected Before Game Even Starts : Padre Manager Brings Out a Videotape of Previous Night’s Call

Steve Garvey’s first career ejection Thursday night was only a sign of things to come for the San Diego Padres.

Umpire Charlie Williams, who had ejected Garvey, gave Padre Manager Steve Boros an ejection during the lineup presentations at home plate before Friday night’s game with the Atlanta Braves after Boros tried to give Williams a videotape of the previous night’s controversial call.

For Boros, who previously managed the Oakland A’s, it was his first ejection in 259 games as a major league manager.

The Padres went on to win the game, 3-2, in 11 innings.

Before Friday night’s game, Boros expressed his displeasure over the manner in which Williams had ejected Garvey in the third inning the previous night.

On the play in question, Bip Roberts slid around catcher Ozzie Virgil and appeared, at least on the television replay, to have touched home plate with his hand. But Williams didn’t see it that way and called Roberts out, completing a triple play by the Braves.

Garvey, the on-deck batter, went out and drew a line where he thought Roberts had touched the plate. After Garvey drew the line and said, “Bear down,” he was ejected by Williams. The Braves went on to win, 4-2.

When Boros took the lineup card to the plate Friday night, he was angry. Immediately, he began arguing with Williams and received the ejection.

According to an announcement in the press box, Boros said he asked to show the replay to Williams.

During batting practice, Boros said he had watched Thursday’s play at the plate three times on television after he went home. When asked if Roberts had touched the plate, Boros nodded affirmatively.

After Friday night’s ejection, Boros said: “I knew once I took a videotape to home plate, I was out of the game. The point I had to make was I understood he missed the call, but he had no right to throw out my cleanup hitter for saying, ‘Bear down.’ There’s no way I could have slept if I didn’t take that videotape to home plate.”

Harry Wendelstedt, the umpiring crew chief, said: “Boros came up to the plate looking to get thrown out, and he got thrown out. It’s done now as far as I’m concerned. It won’t carry over.”

Boros had a little fun when Garvey first stepped into the batting cage before Friday night’s game.

“Watch your language, will you?” Boros said with a smile.

As it turned out, Padre third baseman Graig Nettles was also ejected by Williams Friday night. Nettles was unhappy over two strikes called on him in the sixth inning by Wendelstedt. When he continued to complain in the top of the seventh, Nettles received the ejection from Williams, who was umpiring at third base.

In the game, Marvell Wynne drove in three runs, including an RBI single with two outs in the 11th, to give the Padres the victory.

The Braves’ Jeff Dedmon (2-2) retired the first two batters in the 11th before Roberts singled for his third hit of the game. Roberts took second on a single by Tony Gwynn and scored his third run of the game when Wynne singled to left, his third hit of the night.

Gene Walter (2-1) worked the final two innings for the victory.

The Padres scored in the first inning when Roberts reached base on first baseman Bob Horner’s throwing error, stole second and came home on groundouts by Gwynn and Wynne.

Virgil led off the Atlanta fifth with his eighth home run. Glenn Hubbard followed with a walk, was sacrificed to second, took third on a groundout and scored on Andy Hawkins’ wild pitch.

The Padres tied it, 2-2, in the fifth on an RBI single by Wynne.