Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz had the wrong number Saturday night.
Ortiz went batty, literally, after striking out in the top of the seventh inning of Boston's 7-3 victory in Baltimore.
Ortiz destroyed his bat and repeatedly clubbed a phone in the Red Sox dugout, spraying chunks of his bat and the phone's plastic case. Earlier, umpire Tim Timmons called a strike on a high 3-0 pitch after Ortiz thought he had a walk.
Furious, Ortiz screamed at Timmons and then headed to the dugout.
Miraculously, both the dugout phone and and his Boston teammates were uninjured, although second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was closest in the dugout to the action, nearly got caught by one of Ortiz's swings and the flying debris. He got in Ortiz's face and eventually helped shove him inside from the dugout.
Ortiz had to be restrained by manager John Farrell, in addition to coaches Brian Butterfield and Torey Lovullo.
"All I do is hit, I'm not going to let anyone take that away from me," Ortiz said after the game. "[MLB] should do something about that because that was horrible."
Call it "Roid-Free Rage."
The end result, at least in the short term, was a slew of one-liners on Twitter stemming from the outburst.
We now know the the last three things left after the Apocalypse will be cockroaches, Twinkies (thank goodness) and that bullpen phone in Baltimore. We may see another 15 Ice Ages before that thing becomes bio-degradable.
This was one call that could not be completed as dialed.
All kidding aside, the temper tantrum could have had serious consequences had a Red Sox teammate or fan been injured. Ortiz, who was ejected, may face a fine, or possibly a suspension, for what he may have said to Timmons. That may also depend on how MLB might view his actions considering they were both potentially dangerous and didn't send the most positive of messages. His post-game critique of the umpiring won't help his cause much, either.
Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.
