The hottest hitter in baseball since the All-Star break was hot-tempered Wednesday night.
Angry about a called strike, Reds first baseman Joey Votto confronted home plate umpire Bill Welke. Votto then pointed toward the Reds' dugout to plead, "I had asked for time." The backtalk upset Welke, who tossed Votto from Cincy's game against Pittsburgh.
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That's when the fireworks began.
Votto, the potential go-ahead run in a 5-3 game in the eighth inning, threw his helmet in disgust. He then got in the face of Welke, screaming profanities at close range before being held back by umpire Laz Diaz, third base coach Jim Riggleman and manager Bryan Price, who was also ejected.
It was the third ejection for both Votto and Price this season. Watch as the chaos unfolded.
This isn't the first time Votto has gotten the boot from Welke. Here is Votto, along with former manager Dusty Baker, having words with Welke in 2009.