Before Sunday’s game, Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly said he was worried about getting himself and his team in trouble with any pitch that either came close or hit a batter.
It appears he had good reason for that worry.
Lilly was ejected after just 10 pitches when he hit Edgar Renteria in the first inning after striking out the first two batters.
On the surface, it would appear as though Lilly hitting Renteria was payback for Tim Hudson hitting Alfonso Soriano with the first pitch of Saturday’s game.
If there was payback due for the Cubs, Sunday would be the last chance to deliver it since it was the season finale between the two teams.
But as Hudson said Saturday, Lilly said that in order to be effective he has to throw the ball inside against hitters such as Renteria.
“In a couple of previous games, one of the reasons I’ve been getting hit was I was leaving my fastball over the plate,” Lilly said.
“Look at Renteria and what he does. He drives a fastball the other way about as good as anybody. He’s a guy you can’t leave fastballs out over the plate to.”
Hudson wasn’t ejected Saturday by plate umpire and crew chief Tim Tschida.
Sunday, after Lilly hit Renteria, plate umpire Jim Wolf immediately warned both benches.
Then, as the benches cleared and players began milling around, Wolf tossed Lilly.
“One of the first things he said was that he was ready and waiting for it to happen,” Lilly said. “Unfortunately, it was like he had already made up his mind.”
Lilly and Cubs manager Lou Piniella said that if Wolf anticipated payback, a warning should have been given before the game.
“[Wolf] is regarded as a good umpire and I believe that,” Lilly said.
“I think in this case he made a bad decision.”
