Banister takes ejection to shield players

SEATTLE -- Rangers manager Jeff Banister did not want third baseman Adrian Beltre to get ejected from Sunday's game.

So he took charge and got tossed himself in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss to the Mariners. The ejection by home-plate umpire Lance Barrett came after Beltre flied out for the first of the inning.

There was some barking from the Rangers dugout about some low strikes given to Mariners reliever Fernando Rodney during the at-bat. When Barrett turned to look at the Rangers dugout, Banister stepped out and started yelling at him.

"There was a lot of noise from different directions," Banister said. "Noise from the crowd and noise from the dugout. Our dugout didn't agree with some of the pitches called and it got to a boiling point. He turned, I stepped out. If anybody was going to get ejected it was me."

It was the third time this season that Banister has been ejected from a game.

"Anytime you get ejected there are some interesting things being said from the dugout," Banister said. "Our guys felt there were a couple of pitches that could have gone either way. I don't want one of our guys ejected. If anybody is going to get ejected it was going to be me. I'm going to step up for my guys."