SAN DIEGO _ Major League Baseball announced Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was given a one-game suspension Tuesday for making contact with home-plate umpire Rob Drake in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 4-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Turner has chosen to appeal and will be eligible to play until the appeal process is complete.
The incident occurred after the Dodgers had issues with Drake's strike zone throughout the game. It culminated when Turner struck out looking to end the game on a pitch he believed was a ball. Turner voiced his displeasure and said Drake instigated the contact. Replays showed the pitch appeared to catch the low outside corner of the strike zone.
"I asked him, 'You call that a strike?'" Turner said after the game. "He told me it was right down the middle, which was pretty upsetting. If he thinks that's down the middle ... . no matter, he was missing a lot of pitches throughout the night.
"And then he walks into me and told me not to bump him, which also upsets me. I'm not trying to bump him or touch him in any way, but when you walk into me, and then cry foul like I hit you or something, it's brutal."
