Tulowitzki: Umpire had 'quick trigger' on ejection

Troy Tulowitzki says home plate umpire John Hirschbeck had a quick trigger finger Monday when the veteran official ejected the Toronto Blue Jays shortstop from Game 3 of the ALCS for arguing a called strike during the seventh inning.

The pair had words when Tulowitzki struck out to lead off the seventh on a pitch by Royals right-hander Kris Medlen that appeared to sit on the outer edge of the plate.

They continued their exchange as Tulowitzki took his position defensively in the top half of the eighth, prompting Hirschbeck to toss him from the game with the Blue Jays leading 10-4. The ejection caught Tulowitzki by surprise and he had to be held back by Blue Jays' coaches during the confrontation.

"I think it was obvious I didn't agree with the called third strike. And there were other pitches that were questionable," Tulowitzki said after the Blue Jays' 11-8 win. "I'm walking out to the field and he's looking at me. And I told him that wasn't a strike. And it was a quick trigger, obviously he was either holding on to something or something was going on. But I didn't think what I did was going to eject me out of the game."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Prior to the ejection, Tulowitzki continued his hot-hitting at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a key three-run homer during the Blue Jays' decisive six-run third.

Despite being bothered by the cracked shoulder blade that sidelined him for three weeks, Tulowitzki is now batting .333/.333/.667 in the series after experiencing persistent struggles at the plate upon his return.

"Yeah, it's been a battle for him," manager John Gibbons said. "He's still in pain with that shoulder. But you look at it, really, in two must-win games he's had the big home runs."