After tossing Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox for hitting shortstop Xander Bogaerts with a pitch, home plate umpire Sam Holbrook explained his decision.
Holbrook said in a statement to reporters he was on "high alert" due to the recent issues between the two teams: "Just given the situation and the tension between the two clubs and all the stuff that's gone on over the past few weeks, we're all on high alert with anything. I know that the ball was a curveball, but it hit him square in the back, and just making a split decision at that point right there, there needs to be an end to this stuff, and I felt like the ejection was the right thing to do at the time, and that's what we did.