Brian Snitker is an amiable 60-year-old grandfather who has such a pleasant demeanor that it’s all but impossible not to like him. But ask some who played for him years ago in the minor leagues and they’ll tell you he was intimidating and had an inner fire that roared, but that most outside the clubhouse never saw.
Thursday night, everyone saw it.
A crowd of 22,324 at Turner Field and all those watching on TV saw the Braves interim manager erupt over an call at the plate that ended the Braves’ seventh inning – or rather, they saw him erupt after challenging the call and then having it confirmed upon video review.
“That’s the first time I think he’s been tossed up here,” Braves starting pitcher Matt Wisler said, correctly. “It was a close play, a tough play. But it was good to see him get tossed like that. Got us fired up. The crowd got into it, too, which was great.”
To say the crowd got into it was an understatement. And Braves players were noticeably amped up after the ruling, shouting encouaragement to teammates, standing at the top step of the dugout, ecstatic when Adonis Garcia hit a decisive two-run homer the next inning for a 4-3 lead, which closer Arodys Vizcaino protected in the ninth.
“Admiration is the first word that comes to mind,” Garcia said of Snitker’s reaction and ejection. “You just always know that Snit has your back. We all saw the same play out there, and so for him to go out and defense us and get fired up like that, it definitely gave us a rush of energy and got us all pumped up and kind of rallied the whole team together.”
The scenario that led to Snitker’s ejection: Braves trailing 3-2 and two runners in scoring position in the seventh, Ender Inciarte hits a fly ball that left fielder Michael Conforto catches in foul territory. Emilio Bonifacio tags up and is called out on a close play at the plate when he slides into catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who’s on top of the plate.
Replays show Bonifacio’s knee or foot might have touched the plate before the tag, but the call is confirmed upon review. Umpires rule the tag was made before he touched the plate and d’Arnaud did not violate the home-plate collision rule.
This is not the first – or the second, or third – time that a close call and video review has gone against the Braves this season, and Snitker had seen enough.
“The replays are what they are,” he said. “I had a little different view, I think, and I know it’s not those guys out there (reviewing the play on video), but there’s been a couple of times that I kind of wanted to find somebody to just vent on a little bit wherever after a few calls like that.”
He found somebody Thursday.
Snitker was livid, and home-plate umpire Jordan Baker ejected him after Snitker shouted his feelings over the call. Snitker stayed on the field and ramped up the display of emotions over his discontent with the call, as the crowd roared its approval. He continued arguing and followed crew chief Mike Everitt toward third base.
Snitker waved his arms, shouting and eventually taking off his cap and waving it, too. Fans loved it. Braves players, too.
Asked after Thursday’s game about that fiery streak that he was known for as a minor league manager, Snitker smiled and said, “Well, it was a few years ago. But it’s just one of those things, it was the right time (to argue), I thought. Guys are laying it out there for me. It’s a tough situation anymore with the replay, it’s just kind of limited (how managers can argue a call anymore)
“Every now and then you may need to vent a little bit, just to get it off your chest.”
