Joey Votto was told he couldn’t take his base, so he decided to touch ‘em all.
Votto, batting third in the Cincinnati Reds lineup for the first time since Aug. 14, thought he drew a walk in the first inning on a pitch above the strike zone. Home-plate umpire Laz Diaz saw it differently and signaled strike as Votto prepared to toss his bat toward his dugout. Diaz clapped his hands to urge Votto to step back into the batter’s box when Votto took some time to regather himself.
Adam Wainwright’s next pitch was a cutter that caught the inside part of the plate.