Wednesday began highly for the San Francisco Giants. They were out in front against the Kansas City Royals on the road with a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. And in a snap of the fingers, the Giants went to the top of the eighth down 5-3 and without their manager, Tony Vitello, in the dugout.
Vinnie Pasquantino ripped a base hit into the right field corner in the bottom of the seventh inning. Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee made a great throw back into the infield, looking to get Pasquantino, knowing his speed isn't a strength in his game.
The throw to second base went to San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames, and as Adames was applying the tag to Pasquantino, who looked to come off the base from the momentum of his slide, the Giants thought they got the out. The call on the field was that Adames pushed Pasquantino off the base, resulting in him being safe.
Vitello marched out onto the field, looking for an explanation. At the end of the endeavor, Vitello was tossed from the game. The full video can be viewed below.
Vitello's Response
In his postgame interview, Vitello gave his thoughts on the call and how the rest of the game unfolded.
"As we stand here, I don't know if he was out or safe, but in that situation you're on edge. Roupper (Landen Roupp) is throwing about as good as you can, but pretty obvious it was a swing moment there," Vitello said via NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
"Yeah, to be honest with you (when asked if he was surprised he got ejected), I obviously disagree with the call. I asked if it couldn't be corrected; I don't know what the response was, but all I said was it was a big call. Out or safe, it's a big moment in the game," Vitello said when asked his emotions following the ejection.
The Giants have now lost five in a row when it looked like they were bound to put their losing streak to bed. Now, they head back to the West Coast to take on the Los Angeles Angels, starting Friday night.
For Vitello's group, it's no secret the season hasn't gone the way that they've wanted, but at the end of the day, those moments don't make it any easier to swallow what's already been a very difficult campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/giants/onsi as Giants Manager Tony Vitello Breaks Silence After Ejection.