ATLANTA -- If a manager is ejected and didn't see it, was he ejected? Reds manager Terry Francona inadvertently tested that issue on Thursday in a wild extra-innings game vs. the Braves at Truist Park.
Spoiler alert: Francona was indeed tossed after all -- and so was first-base coach Collin Cowgill -- in the top of the 11th inning during Cincinnati's wild, frustrating 5-4 walk-off defeat to the Braves that featured multiple late miscues.
“Obviously, losing sucks. Losing on a walk-off sucks even more," said Blake Dunn, who was at the center of the play that got both his manager and coach thrown out of the game.
Beginning the top of the 11th with Santiago Espinal on second base, Dunn squared to sacrifice bunt, but it went directly to the charging first baseman, Matt Olson. The fielder's choice throw went to third base and Espinal was out.
“He’s supposed to bunt to third," Francona said. "If he bunts to third, it doesn’t matter how hard the first baseman crashes.”
Rece Hinds was batting with two outs when Dunn attempted to steal second base. He couldn't maintain his hand on the base and was called out by umpire Alex McKay to end the inning. However, Cowgill argued that second baseman Ozzie Albies blocked the bag with his knee.
McKay quickly ejected Cowgill.
“I just tried to swim around the knee in the tag. I think I got there at first, but my momentum kind of took me off the bag after that. Unfortunate play, I guess," Dunn said. "It also comes back to the bunt. If I get the bunt down in a better situation, we’re not in that spot anyway.”
The blocking situation was not reviewable, but Francona also argued and requested a replay review of the tag itself. Since the replay official could not definitively determine that Dunn maintained contact with the base, he was deemed out and the call stood.
After crew chief Alan Porter explained the review, Francona wanted to argue more with McKay and went to second base. His back was turned when Porter tossed him. But when the bottom of the 11th began, Francona was still in the dugout for two plate appearances.
“I was talking to Porter because the kid that made the call walked away from me," Francona said. "I said, ‘I deserve an explanation.’ But he walked away, and [Porter] said. ‘I’m going to throw you out.’ I said, ‘Go ahead.’ But then, when I went out there, I never saw him do it. So I went to the dugout. I actually saw the home plate umpire. I thought he went down to ask him that. I saw him shake his head and I’m like, ‘Maybe he didn’t.’ I didn’t know, but he did tell me he was going to do that.”
In the bottom of the 11th, Orlando Arcia popped out and Francona ordered an intentional walk of Eli White. That's when Porter noticed Francona hadn't left the dugout and forced him to the clubhouse.
The game ended when Drake Baldwin hit a two-out RBI single to left field.
During the four-game series, the Reds had more guys go on the injured list (three) than wins (one). Two losses were extra-inning walk-off crushers where late defensive miscues cost them dearly.
It was a 2-2 game with one out in the top of the ninth against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias when Hinds pulled an 0-2 pitch to the left-field seats for a two-run home run. But a Hinds mistake led to disaster in the bottom of the inning.
With closer Emilio Pagán unavailable, Graham Ashcraft handled the bottom of the ninth but blew the save. Ashcraft walked Albies leading off and next on a Sean Murphy line drive to deep right field, Hinds misjudged the ball and it skipped off the top of his glove for a single.
“I just got turned around. I misread it a little bit. I thought it was kind of right at me and it carried a little bit further than I thought," Hinds said. “For sure, it was definitely an emotional swing."
With runners on the corners, White squeeze bunted Albies home and Michael Harris II lined a game-tying RBI single to left field to force extras.
The Reds are 0-4 in extra-inning games and 4-7 in one-run games.
“I really don’t look back real far. Tonight was really tough," Francona said. "We better bounce back quick and we will. We made some mistakes. We didn’t play a clean game. We left some chances out there, but we still competed like crazy, which I love.”