Mets Manager Luis Rojas Gets Two-Game Suspension After Exploding On Umpire
After Mets manager Luis Rojas exploded on the umpire, which led to his first inning ejection on Sunday, MLB handed him a two-game suspension for "excessive arguing."
"I'm a little upset that I'm going to be missing the next two games," said Rojas prior to the Mets' series with the Cincinnati Reds. "But, the leagues gotta do what they gotta do."
For Rojas, this is the first time he has been suspended at any level in professional baseball. And as he also noted, he did not have a chance to appeal.
However, he says nothing will change as far as their preparation to play the Reds, as both he and the rest of the Mets' coaching staff are all on the same page with how they plan to approach this matchup. Bench coach Dave Jauss will take over managing duties, and Brian Schneider will fill Jauss' role, which he already assists with regularly.
Rojas will also be allowed to be in the clubhouse during pregame, and will be on the field throwing batting practice. But once their workout ends, he must leave.
"My intention is not to get suspended," he said. "But my intention will always be to fight for the guys out there."
Rojas' eruption was due to a controversial call in the first inning yesterday against the Pirates, where Taijuan Walker threw a dribbler away, which he believed to be in foul territory. Instead, three runs scored, and the call was non-reviewable.
Rojas still believes this was a foul ball, and should be a reviewable play in the future.
According to a source, this argument was more fierce than most and nearly got physical, which is what led to the league's decision to suspend Rojas.
Rojas appeared to have bumped chests with the umpire, as he was barking at him.
