“He called the game like he had somewhere to go” - Angels manager Ron Washington lashes out at plate umpire after controversial call in Rays game

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington well known for being blunt about his thoughts and views, didn’t hold back after his team’s defeat. On Wednesday, the Angels were defeated 4-2 by the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the ninth inning, the franchise didn’t make much noise on the plate in front of Rays’ Pete Fairbanks, who struck out three batters, securing his second save of the season.

Washington was not pleased with the calls from the home plate umpire Doug Eddings. He felt that the umpire was in a hurry to wrap things up, as reported by The Athletic’s Sam Blum on X.

“I don’t know if it was a consistent issue throughout the day. When you got two strikes, you got to try to battle. But I do think in that ninth inning he must have had a flight that he was missing,” Ron Washington said (via ESPN).

“That’s exactly the way he called the game. He called the game like he had somewhere to go. Didn’t take into account that we're fighting to try to win a game. I thought he had somewhere to go cause that was ridiculous,” Washington added.

The Los Angeles Angels record fell to 6-6 for the season after losing their last two games against the Tampa Bay Rays, who now stand at 7-6.

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Jose Soriano struggled in his first major league start with the Angels

Jose Soriano’s debut with the Angels on Wednesday didn’t go as expected against the Rays. He had a tough first inning in which he gave up three runs.

Despite being on a limited pitch count, Soriano pitched for four innings, allowing four runs on six hits. However, he showed some positive signs striking out six batters without giving up a walk.

Discussing about the game, Soriano conveyed through his interpreter (via MLB.com):

“It feels great. I started as a reliever here last year and it feels great to be in a rotation. I want to throw a lot of innings and try to help the team win.”

At just 25 years of age, Soriano overcame two Tommy John surgeries to join the Angels’ roster. Last year, he came aboard as a setup reliever but got the chance on the active roster when right hander Chase Silseth landed on the 15-day injured list.