Umpires: Syndergaard intentionally threw at Utley

Ejecting Noah Syndergaard without issuing a warning was the right move in the minds of those in charge of Saturday's game between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Home-plate official Adam Hamari ejected the Mets starter after he threw a 99-mph fastball that sailed just behind Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley in the third inning, a controversial decision later explained by crew chief Tom Hallion.

"The ruling was that he intentionally threw at the batter, and with that, we have a judgement of whether we thought it was intentional, and if it was, we can either warn or eject," Hallion told a pool reporter postgame. "And with what happened in that situation, we felt the ejection was warranted ... Because the pitch was thrown behind Utley."

Related: Baseball world split over Syndergaard's quick ejection​

Hallion also reasoned Utley's takeout slide of Ruben Tejada in last season's National League Division Series did not factor into the ejection, even though retaliation for the incident might have been expected at some point by the Mets.

"We have to make a snap decision. We can't think about, OK, well this guy did this or he did that in Game 6 or whatever," Hallion said. "We don't have enough time to think that way. We make a decision on what happens in the game."

The Mets will wrap up their three-game homestand against the Dodgers in a rubber match on Sunday.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)