I think the Braves would have beaten the Marlins Friday night even if Pablo López had been allowed to complete his normal start, but that’s besides the point. The umpires’ absurd decision to eject López compromised the integrity of the game and will have unfortunate consequences that linger throughout the rest of the weekend and likely beyond that.
Crew chief Dan Iassogna explained to a pool reporter postgame that López’s hit by pitch of Ronald Acuña Jr. merited an ejected because of “what type of pitch it is” and “where it hit him.” This was the fifth time that Acuña has been plunked by a Marlins pitcher in a regular season game, and all of the previous instances also involved fastballs.