Report: Dodgers OF Matt Kemp to be fined for critical comments of umpire
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp will be fined for his critical comments of home plate umpire Dale Scott in the NLDS, reports CBSSports.com.
Kemp ripped Scott's strike zone after Game 3 of the series, which the Dodgers lost 3-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals to go down 2-1 in the series. The Cardinals won again the next night to eliminate the Dodgers from the postseason.
"Terrible, terrible strike zone,” Kemp said after Game 3. "I've never, ever seen anything like it. It's disappointing. You got guys out there battling. These are two good teams going out there. It's supposed to be against the teams, not the umpire."
It's unclear how much Kemp will be fined and when he'll receive his fine. According to the report, some MLB officials do believe that Scott didn't perform well as umpire in the game, but also that that fact won't prevent Kemp from receiving punishment for what he said.
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Kemp went 0-for-4 in Game 3 with two strikeouts.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was also critical of the strike zone after the game but was much more measured with his comments, and it appears he won't be punished.
"I thought Dale was very generous,'' Mattingly said. "We had a lot of guys complaining about the strike zone. And we felt like he was really generous. And it puts you in a bind. You keep giving pitchers, changing counts. Obviously, you can't go too far with it, but real generous."
Overall in the series against the Cardinals, Kemp went 6-for-17 with a home run and two RBI. In the regular season, the 30-year-old hit .287 with an .852 OPS and added 25 home runs and 89 RBI.
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The Dodgers went 94-68 in the regular season and won the National League West for the second straight season. Los Angeles was eliminated from the playoffs by the Cardinals for the second straight year.
- Ben Estes
