Braves right-hander Kevin Gausman recorded just five outs on Friday night, and it’s not because the anemic Marlins lineup got to him.
Rather than focusing on retiring José Ureña to escape a second-inning jam, Gausman figured it would be the appropriate time to seek retaliation for the hit-by-pitch heard ‘round the baseball world last August. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson promptly ejected him for the errant 97 mile-per-hour fastball:
Here's the pitch behind Jose Ureña that got Kevin Gausman ejected. pic.twitter.com/VDXV8GBHQm
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) May 3, 2019
Some additional angles of it...
For those keeping an eye on this.... Gausman vs Ureña. Gausman pitches behind Ureña and gets tossed immediately. Touki Toussaint coming in to relieve Gausman. pic.twitter.com/fkpCzOqRmI
— Jessica Blaylock (@JessBlaylock) May 3, 2019
The view from above: Kevin Gausman tossed for throwing a pitch behind Jose Urena on the first offering of his AB pic.twitter.com/DKL5puMPoG
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) May 3, 2019
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Touki Toussaint entered in relief and finished the plate appearance with a walk, then struck out Curtis Granderson to strand the bases loaded.
Gausman is no stranger to controversial hit-by-pitches. Similar to his 2017 ejection as a member of the Orioles, he emphatically denied that the beanball was done with intent. Even so, he could be facing discipline from Major League Baseball.
How’d we get here? Well, star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.—in the midst of an amazing hot streak—was Ureña’s target on August 15, 2018. Ureña plunked him in the hip with a fastball on the very first pitch of his outing. He was promptly ejected and widely reprimanded for the cowardly act, including by Fish Stripes. Friday marked the first regular season meeting between Ureña and the Braves since then.
CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER pic.twitter.com/Dc5O7yIbFv
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) May 3, 2019
Acuña matched up with Ureña three times in this game. No hijinks or suspicious pitch locations (strikeout swinging, single, ground out).
The Marlins and Braves continue their series through Sunday. For everybody’s sake, hopefully they can squash the tension and turn the attention back to baseball.