DETROIT — Who can blame Ron Gardenhire for kicking dirt over the plate?
The Tigers manager, at the helm for his first game with Detroit after 13 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, had just watched four and a half hours of bad baseball. Finally his team appeared to have ended it; Nicholas Castellanos slid in just ahead of Corey Dickerson’s throw on JaCoby Jones’ 10th-inning single.
The umpires in New York City’s replay command center reversed the call. The inning ended, play continued. Gardenhire had seen enough, and his ejection meant he watched Gregory Polanco’s 13th-inning home run, which gave the Pirates a 13-10 victory, from the comfort of the clubhouse.