La Russa: Ohtani plunking unintentional, umps 'made a mistake'
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa disagreed with the umpires' decision to eject reliever Mike Wright from Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Angels after the right-hander hit Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in the ninth inning.
"They made a mistake," La Russa said, according to James Fegan of The Athletic. "It's upsetting. It looks bad for our pitcher, our team, and me."
The umpires deemed the plunking intentional and tossed Wright. La Russa came on the field to argue and was also thrown from the game.
Something's Just Not Wright ✅
— Anaheim Sports (@AnaheimSports1) September 16, 2021
Mike Wright Jr. ejected from game after hitting Shohei Ohtani with a pitch. Wright seemed wild in his appearance today. Shohei tells Gavin Sheets at first base that everything will be ok. 😎
Credit: Ballys
#大谷翔平 #Ohtani #Angels pic.twitter.com/bw69v9nWfi
Angels skipper Joe Maddon said he thought Ohtani was hit on purpose as retaliation after Luis Robert and Jose Abreu were plunked by pitches earlier in the series, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
La Russa added that the White Sox didn't retaliate in the games where those incidents occurred, and the Angels didn't receive warnings, either, according to Fegan.