Marty Brown Ejected

Yes, Brown-kantoku was arguing balls and strikes, which will get you ejected on either side of the Pacific.

He's matched the maximum number of three ejections in a season set by 5 other foreign players (including Hiroshima pitcher Romano so far this year), but becomes the first manager to be ejected three times in a season.

Brown-kantoku's first ejection came on May 7 against Chunichi when he threw the first base bag in protest to Romano's ejection for foul language. He was fined 10-man yen for the incident. While the Central League officials didn't find it amusing, Hiroshima's owner made T-shirts to memorialize the base throwing incident. The Carp won the game by a score of 5-3.

The second ejection came on May 29th against Yokohama. With one out and runners at second and third, Kura fouled a ball off his foot, but it was ruled in play. Maeda was forced at third and Kura, not running, was out at first for a double play. Brown-kantoku held up the game for 17 minutes before daring the first base umpire to eject him, which he eventually did. Hiroshima won the game 6-3.

Then there was the incident yesterday (August 23), in which the Carp was up by a run, but went on to win handily 8-3.

Livesey-batting coach (and substitute kantoku) commented, "He somehow manages to get them fired up when he gets ejected, doesn't he? If there's another scene like that, he's likely to do it again. But I'd really like him to stop here." (Translation of translation - may be completely different than what he actually said.)

As for what's up with Brown-kantoku, this is how he motivates his players, by standing up for them. Over three years in Triple-A before coming to Japan he was thrown out of 22 games. Hiroshima knew about this before signing him, and judging by the comments in the press, many feel that his ejections do fire up the players (including the announcers on J-Sports this evening).

Livesley-batting coach felt that that particular pitch was an important one, with Ohtake pitching well up until that point, and that the ejection helped him finish the fifth with the lead in tact.

It would be pretty disgusting if Brown was deliberately abusing umpires to get his team fired up and win games. I hope that this is not the case and that he was genuinely annoyed and stupid than malicious and unpleasant.

- It would be pretty disgusting if Brown was deliberately abusing umpires to get his team fired up and win games.

I fail to see where Brown has deliberately abused an umpire this year. While, Brown might thrown a first base bag and argued with a umpire for 17 minutes, that is much different than deliberately abusing a umpire, and you can't make a comparison between the two.

It is the manager's job to stand up for his players when an umpire makes bad calls. Brown is a fiery manager, and this is how he motivates his team, it was the same way he motivated the Buffalo Bisons (the Cleveland Indians' AAA team) when he managed them.

You can't expect a manager to just sit there and do nothing, while an umpire makes bad calls. Plus, shouting at a umpire is normal in the Majors and Minor Leagues, and it is usual for a ejected manager to toss helmets and mitts around in a rage. As along as they aren't thrown on the field, I really can't see a problem with it. You can cough if up I guess as a cultural difference.

I'm glad that's the case as the alternative hardly bears thinking of.

Additional news has come in today about the incident.

Brown-kantoku was fined 20-man yen by the Central League. They acknowledge that he showed no violence against the umpire(s), and that he did not use profanity. However, it being his third time to be ejected this year is not a record that the Central League brass are proud of or wants to see continue.

The press appeared to be a little surprised at Brown-kantoku's arrival at the ball park on Thursday. He arrived with a big smile on his face, greeted everyone with a hardy "Konnichi wa," and went in to talk with Livesley-batting coach at the batting cage, getting ready to face the Tigers again. Everything was just honky dory.

A representative for Hiroshima was asked if the club was going to take any action against their manager for setting a record for a manager being ejected in a single season. The reply was that the Central League already fined him, so the club wasn't considering it.

One thing that struck me in the "Management by Baseball" book I'd mentioned some time ago is that many businesses replace a manager with the polar opposite of the manager that came before. After watching Mimura, Tatsukawa, and Yamamoto rotate through the managerial job in Hiroshima for the last decade or two, one could hardly tell their styles apart. Had any of them ever been ejected, as manager or player? Going with Brown-kantoku was a huge change in on-field management in Hiroshima this year.

Thanks for the analysis Michael. I have seen a couple replays of the recent incident on the news with commentators laughing. I am not sure what the fans think of him.