Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was ejected from his game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday after throwing two straight pitches behind Andrelton Simmons.
Strasburg hit Justin Upton, the second batter of the first inning, with a 97-mph fastball on his left hip. Upton took his base without any issue and home plate umpire Marvin Hudson warned both dugouts. Strasburg appeared to lose control in the second inning, throwing three wild pitches before Hudson tossed Strasburg and manager Davey Johnson.
Atlanta and Washington have had bad blood throughout the season. The Braves hit Bryce Harper twice on Friday night and the outfielder was scratched from the lineup Saturday with discomfort stemming from the incident. Before Saturday's game, Johnson discussed the plunking with James Wagner of the Washington Post:
"I'm not happy with it. I know everybody in that room is not happy with it. You turn the page. We've got a game to play tonight and I'm going to worry about beating them."
Upton hit a walk-off homer Friday and trotted slowly on a game-deciding homer in Washington on Aug. 5. The next day, Julio Teheran hit Harper with a fastball after he hit a homer off him. Harper has been hit four times this season, three times by the Braves.
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