Roger Cedeno was ejected in the top of the eighth inning Tuesday night after breaking his bat on home plate, and umpire Rick Reed said the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder then spit on him.
Reed filed a report on the incident after the Chicago Cubs 7-3 victory over the Cardinals with Bob Watson, baseball's vice president of on-field operations.
"Whatever he had in his mouth, the contents came on me," Reed said.
Asked if he thought it was intentional, Reed said, "Yes. ... He was pretty profane. His obscenities were pretty personal."
Cedeno believed he had checked his swing on an 0-1 pitch, and Reed initially called it a ball. But Cubs right-hander Matt Clement appealed to third-base umpire Alfonso Marquez, who said Cedeno had swung.
Cedeno was livid and argued with Reed.
"I didn't agree with how he was calling a lot of strikes the whole game," Cedeno said. "I thought it wasn't a strike."
Reed upheld Marquez's call, and Cedeno was so angry he smacked his bat on home plate, breaking it. Reed then tossed him.
"He was very violent, I believed, and he was unprofessional," Reed said. "He was given chances to calm down and he chose not to. It's his bed that he made."
But Cedeno said he never meant to break his bat.
"I was very excited at that moment and did it a little harder," he said. "I didn't mean it."
After he was ejected, Cedeno started for the Cardinals dugout and then turned around, approaching Reed again and spraying him with whatever was in his mouth.
Rock On, \,,/ \,,/
Reed filed a report on the incident after the Chicago Cubs 7-3 victory over the Cardinals with Bob Watson, baseball's vice president of on-field operations.
"Whatever he had in his mouth, the contents came on me," Reed said.
Asked if he thought it was intentional, Reed said, "Yes. ... He was pretty profane. His obscenities were pretty personal."
Cedeno believed he had checked his swing on an 0-1 pitch, and Reed initially called it a ball. But Cubs right-hander Matt Clement appealed to third-base umpire Alfonso Marquez, who said Cedeno had swung.
Cedeno was livid and argued with Reed.
"I didn't agree with how he was calling a lot of strikes the whole game," Cedeno said. "I thought it wasn't a strike."
Reed upheld Marquez's call, and Cedeno was so angry he smacked his bat on home plate, breaking it. Reed then tossed him.
"He was very violent, I believed, and he was unprofessional," Reed said. "He was given chances to calm down and he chose not to. It's his bed that he made."
But Cedeno said he never meant to break his bat.
"I was very excited at that moment and did it a little harder," he said. "I didn't mean it."
After he was ejected, Cedeno started for the Cardinals dugout and then turned around, approaching Reed again and spraying him with whatever was in his mouth.
Rock On, \,,/ \,,/
