Ortiz gets 1 game for contact with ump, will appeal suspension

ST. PETERSBURG -- Red Sox slugger David Ortiz decided to appeal a one-game suspension and undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball, enabling him to start Tuesday night's game against Rays right-hander Chris Archer.

Ortiz received the discipline for making contact with umpire John Tumpane during the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Orioles at Fenway Park.

In the video, it's hard to see definitively if Ortiz actually made any contact with Tumpane during the argument.

"I have to watch that video to see what point I touched him because I don't remember, to be honest with you," said Ortiz. "I don't really remember. And I wasn't even arguing with him. I was talking with the third-base umpire. If it happened, I don't know when it happened and I didn't try that because trust me, I know. It might be one move that I made or whatever. But I don't know."

Ortiz was ejected from Sunday's loss to the Orioles after disputing a checked-swing call by third-base umpire Jerry Meals. He then threw his bat to the ground and tossed his helmet as he went into the clubhouse.

"That was kind of a weird situation, where I'm arguing with the third-base umpire and the home-plate umpire is the one who was kicking me out of the game," said Ortiz. "But whatever. I'm just appealing it, and I'm going to go from there."

Red Sox manager John Farrell tried to get out in front of the situation by contacting MLB after Sunday's game in defense of Ortiz.

"We respect what has been handed down but there's a process that David can now follow," Farrell said.

Farrell was surprised by the discipline Ortiz received on Tuesday.

"I was," said Farrell. "If there was any contact, it was slight, if at all. And it wasn't anything intentional, I know that. I know that there was a lot of frustration on David's part from Saturday's game as well as the two check-swing calls, that even in review of the film, didn't look like he broke the plane, or the front edge of the plate. The actions are what they are. Still, there were some things I think that were leading up to that."

Ortiz's suspension will be held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete.

"I guess it's part of the game," Ortiz said. "[The umpires] ain't perfect."

However, Ortiz knows it is important to try to get along with umpires.

"I don't like arguing with umpires in general. I hate it. I hate it more than what people think I do," said Ortiz. "I have a good relationship with them. I have no complaints with umpires. But like I say, it's a game that we play, you're trying to win and whenever you feel like something is wrong you're going to have to say something about it and then you move on.

"Even that guy that I was arguing with, [on Monday] we met up at second base and we talked to each other fine. Everything was cool. That's it. It's not like people want to make a scene like this is some personal stuff. No. You're involved in a baseball game where you're trying to win. You see an umpire miss a call, your adrenaline gets in the way."