TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 26: Matt Kemp #27 of the San Diego Padres reacts after fouling a ball off his foot in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 26, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Matt Kemp was thrown out of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 4-3 comeback victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, the first game of a makeup split doubleheader.
The outfielder’s ejection was his third of the season, and came in the fifth inning after he started arguing strikes with umpire Tripp Gibson. Dodgers manager Dave Robert was tossed just moments after Kemp was.
“I just thought, it seemed to me, there were more pitches that went their way than our way,” said Roberts. “I thought [a ball to Turner] was off the plate. Matt’s ball was down, I could see it from the side. I want to protect the player and I just didn’t agree with those calls. He did what he’s supposed to do.”
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Kemp has now been ejected 17 times in his career, according to MLB.com. Last week, he crashed into Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos while attempting to score a run and ignited an all-out brawl between the two teams.
“I shouldn’t have gotten kicked out in that situation right there, early in the game. My spot came up twice,” Kemp said after the game. “But if it wasn’t for me getting kicked out, [Kyle] Farmer wouldn’t have come up and hit that double, so everything worked out.”
Yasmani Grandal was also ejected in the ninth inning after the Dodgers catcher also began arguing strikes. Grandal had struck out four times by that point. The Cubs won the second game 2-1 on Tuesday.
The two teams will play again at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon.
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The Dodgers (38-34) are second in the NL West, 1.5 games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs (41-29) are second in the NL Central, half-a-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Chris Taylor was hit on the helmet by a pitch at one point.
Farmer has been playing part of this season with the Dodgers (32 games thus far) and part of it with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The pinch-hitter hit a go-ahead two-run double in the ninth to lead the Dodgers to victory in the first of Tuesday’s two games.
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