Reds' Ferguson apologizes for outburst toward second-base umpire
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SEATTLE -- Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson understood that frustration got the better of him on Monday night.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ferguson publicly apologized for an expletive-laden outburst he made to umpire Bill Miller in the seventh inning of an 8-0 Reds' loss to the Mariners.
“I don’t feel great about it, for sure," Ferguson said. "Definitely very uncharacteristic for myself. As long as I’ve been in this game, I don’t know if you’ll ever find a clip of me going at an umpire like that. I’ll definitely have to wear that one on the chest and seek Bill out or try to at some point and definitely make it right with him. Very unprofessional on my part.”
It had been a rough inning all around for Ferguson, right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson and Cincinnati's infield defense during a six-run rally, which turned a 1-0 game into a 7-0 deficit.
“It felt like it happened very, very quick," Ferguson said.
The inning really went off the rails when a first-pitch slurve to Cal Raleigh was demolished for a grand slam to left-center field. And then more misfortune followed.
Josh Naylor reached on a comebacker off Ferguson for a single. Then a potential double-play grounder by Cole Young to second baseman Edwin Arroyo wasn't turned to keep the inning going.
The final mishap came on a Victor Robles chopper up the middle, when the second-base umpire, Miller, couldn't get out of Arroyo's way while he tried to make a play as the ball bounced through for another single.
An incensed Ferguson screamed expletives at Miller, which was caught on camera, but the veteran umpire didn't respond or eject the pitcher.
“I know Bill is doing his best not to be in the way in that situation, so I’ve got to be better on my part, too," Ferguson said. “It’s kind of letting the moment there kind of take over instead of staying in control.”
Social media made the incident a viral moment, but Ferguson isn't active on those platforms and didn't realize that it had blown up so big.
“I didn’t see it until late and I wish I had seen it earlier so I could have been doing this earlier," he said.