I love it when research intersects. In the book, Sutton’s reputation as a cheater is covered, but I didn’t really get into umpires with particularly short fuses, and ones known for being quick to eject, or who will carry a grudge.
So. Umpire Bruce Froemming was both, and when he crossed Sutton. From Baseball Digest:
Don Sutton was pitching a shutout in Chicago when Froemming saw him scuff th eball on the pitching rubber.
“We caught him,” Froemming said. “Dick Stello asked for the ball at third base, and Sutton threw the ball so hard that Stello had to move and the ball hit into the brick wall. Now we can’t catch the scuff.”
When Froemming went to ask him what was going on, Sutton screamed at Froemming.
He was gone and there was nothing that could save him,” Froemming recalled.
That’s some quality quick thinking on Sutton’s part, even if it’s the wrong thing to do.
from “Here’s the Quickest Way to Be Ejected from a Game” by Bob Hertzel, 1986
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