The Cubs-Pirates game at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon was about as meaningless as it gets with two bad teams playing out the string, but that didn’t stop acting Chicago manager Andy Green from getting quite heated.
Green was ejected in the top of the sixth inning by second-base umpire Tom Hallion for arguing what Green felt like should’ve been interference on Pirates infielder Kevin Newman on a slide into second base as Cubs shortstop Sergio Alcantara attempted to turn the back end of a double play on a groundball by Pittsburgh catcher Michael Perez. Newman made some contact with Alcantara as the latter threw wide to first base for an error, allowing a Pirates run to come in to score and cut the Cubs’ lead to 5-3.
While what MLB calls "accidental contact" is allowed on permissible slides, runners aren’t allowed to change the path of their slides to initiate contact in such situations, and Green apparently felt like Newman had violated that. Had the umpire determined that to be the case, Perez could’ve been called out at first base to end the inning.
Green was ejected as he started walking back to the dugout to end his argument, then he really blew up.
Usually the team’s bench coach, Green was leading the Cubs because manager David Ross is quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19.
Green handed the lineup card to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, a sign that he could’ve turned into the No. 3 manager in the Cubs' rotation, but catching coach Mike Borzello was also perched on the edge of the dugout as the manager usually might be.