A Day Later, Pujols Remains on Hit List

The San Diego Padres lost their starter after only 11 pitches. Then they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kerry Robinson tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and also drove in a run, and the Cardinals won, 3-1, Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Both benches cleared in the first inning when Albert Pujols was hit in the shoulder blade on the first pitch he saw from Adam Eaton, a day after Pujols lingered at the plate after his game-winning, two-run home run lifted St. Louis, 9-7, in 11 innings.

Eaton was immediately ejected, along with Pujols, Padre catcher Gary Bennett and San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy. During a brief confrontation Pujols punched Bennett in the face.

“Last night he hit the hell out of it and watched it and watched it and watched it,” Bennett said. “Look, nice going. Just get around the bases. It irritated a lot of us.”

The Padres were livid about the ejection of Eaton because there had been no warning before the game. Eaton said he got tossed after throwing his slowest breaking ball of year, which he said should have made it clear he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.

“I was shocked,” Eaton said. “I said ‘me?’ It was a complete fiasco.”

Specifically, they were mad at plate umpire Mark Carlson.

“It was the worst judgment I’ve ever seen. The pitch didn’t warrant an ejection. It’s irritating, and can’t happen,” Bochy said.

“Thirty years ago when Stan [Musial] and Red [Schoendienst] played, it would never happen,” Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said.

“But everybody, when you hit a dramatic home run, you make gestures ... The Padres do it.”