New York, NY – Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie has received a four-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his aggressive actions toward umpire Bill Miller during Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lawrie's tirade took place in the bottom of the ninth inning. Trailing 4-3 with one out, Lawrie appeared to draw a walk when Fernando Rodney's 3-1 pitch caught Jose Molina's glove nearly a foot off the plate.
Lawrie, 22, began his trot to first base but was stopped in his tracks when Miller made a late strike call.
Rodney's payoff pitch looked out of the strike zone, and Lawrie again started towards first with an apparent walk. This time, Miller wasted little time calling the pitch a strike, and Lawrie erupted.
Just as Miller was ejecting him from the game, Lawrie spiked his helmet in the umpire's direction, and it struck Miller in the leg after hitting the ground.
Blue Jays manager John Farrell needed to separate the two, and he too was ejected by the time Lawrie made his way to the dugout.
Rodney retired the next hitter to complete Tampa Bay's sweep of the two-game series.
Lawrie has elected to appeal the suspension and is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.