Dusty Baker on first ejection as Washington Nationals’ skipper: “There’s no way I should have been ejected.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Angry Dusty Baker is the best Dusty Baker. Baker wasn’t happy with a foul tip that was called strike three on Ryan Raburn in the sixth inning of today’s series finale with the Chicago Cubs, and he wasn’t happy that first base umpire David Rackley told him he couldn’t see when he asked for a second opinion.

Baker’s vociferous argument led to his first ejection in a season and a half as the Nats’ manager. He was hot when he argued with Rackley on the field, and he was still angry when he talked to reporters about the ejection after what ended up a 5-4 loss to the Cubs when the Nationals’ bullpen blew a lead in the ninth with Blake Treinen giving up three runs and taking the blown save/loss.

Baker was asked what went down that led to the ejection.

“I asked the home plate umpire could he get some help and he said he already asked him,” Baker explained.

“And then [Rackley] said he was too far away to see, and I said clearly he foul tipped it and it hit the dirt. I mean, I could see that, big time, and so he said he was too far away and evidently he could see, cause he couldn’t hear, I don’t think, so he said he could hear me say, ‘You can’t see anyway,’ so he ejected me.

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“And it was a bad call, and there’s no way I should have been ejected.”

Baker then stood in the hallway leading to the Nationals’ clubhouse listening as the Nats’ bullpen gave another one way.

“I was down in the hall, I couldn’t see it,” Baker said.

“I know I kept hearing the Chicago Cubs fans cheering, so I figured it was something that happened adversely, and then one of the bullpen guys said, ‘Turn’em over, turn’em over,’ and then there was no reaction after so I figured something must have happened, we didn’t turn them over, and then they had all these left-hand hitters up there, and, boy, it was tough, because Joe [Ross] pitched a heck of a game, and our bullpen did a good job until all consecutive hits, and so it was a bad series of events there in the ninth inning.”