MLB fines Phillies' dirt-kicking manager Kapler

Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler was fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Wednesday for kicking dirt at an umpire's shoes on Saturday during a home game against the Miami Marlins.

The ejection was Kapler's first as Phillies manager, and it happened after he went 1 1/2 seasons without being thrown out. In an argument with plate umpire Chris Guccione when the Phillies' Scott Kingery was called out on strikes after the pitch hit his hands in the fourth inning, Kapler got the boot and received a standing ovation from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

Kapler then got ejected in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's game against the New York Mets by plate umpire Joe West. The manager was irked that West gave warnings to both teams after Mets reliever Wilmer Font hit Kingery in the shoulder with a fastball. The beanball was perhaps in reaction to Font allowing home runs to Maikel Franco and Brad Miller, the Phillies' two previous batters.

"I felt fairly emotional seeing the ball go near Scott's face. I had an instant reaction to that," Kapler said of the second ejection in an article by the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And then when we were warned, I recognized that we were put in a tough spot, right? Our relievers coming into the game to win the game, I felt like it was going to put us at a disadvantage throwing up and in.

"The umpires have a job to do. I understand that they have to keep the peace in that situation. So I get it. But it was just upsetting because I felt like we were at a disadvantage. It's that simple."

Kapler avoided kicking dirt on West, though, so he possibly could avoid another fine.

"I really don't know. Those aren't things that go through my head," Kapler said Wednesday, according to the Inquirer. "Right now I'm not thinking about it. I kind of shared my thoughts on why I went out to argue last night, and I think it's probably best just to leave it at that."

--Field Level Media