In the first of a three-game series that the Nationals are using to celebrate their 2019 title, Dave Martinez is ejected and Justin Verlander dominates to spoil the occasion.
Umpires Todd Tichenor, left, and Cory Blaser throw out Nationals Manager Dave Martinez after the final out of the eighth inning Friday night at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals’ frustration — with themselves, with the umpires, with their general predicament — had been bubbling for a few innings. When it finally boiled over in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Houston Astros, Manager Dave Martinez left his restraint on the dugout steps.
“The fact that they can’t see it is brutal,” Martinez said. “I mean, Vargas almost broke his hand. Guy was blocking the base. That’s obstruction to me. … If you’re going to make rules, umpires need to know the rules.”“Obstruction is not challengeable,” he added. “That’s going to end up having to change. But that’s my opinion.”
Blaser seemed to be at the center of much of the anger. Take the 78th and final pitch of Justin Verlander’s season debut. The 3-2 fastball to Jesse Winker was a borderline strike, but one a future Hall of Famer is going to get more often than not. Winker disagreed, and discussed the pitch with Blaser for a good 25 seconds after the at-bat.
Verlander was staked to a three-run lead in the second when the Astros rattled off four straight hits — including three doubles — off starter MacKenzie Gore to open the inning.
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