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Bradley out for rest of season
What started as just another Milton Bradley outburst has turned into something far more serious, not to mention damaging to the San Diego Padres' postseason hopes.
A major-league source told FOXSports.com that Bradley suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black from going after first base umpire Mike Winters during Sunday's loss to the Colorado Rockies.
The injury will sideline Bradley for the rest of the season — and the playoffs, assuming the Padres can hold onto their tenuous wild-card lead — and will require surgery.
Bradley was ejected and then hurt his right knee when Black spun him to the ground in an attempt to keep him from going after the umpire.
The Padres were livid, claiming that Winters baited Bradley in the eighth inning, leading to a confrontation that overshadowed the surging Rockies' 7-3 win and an impressive three-game sweep of the wild card-leading Padres.
Bradley, whose volatile temper has overshadowed his talent during his career, called it "the most unprofessional and most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."
"It's terrible. And now, because of him, my knee's hurt," said Bradley, a second-half catalyst for the Padres who was in his third game back from an injury that sidelined him for nearly two weeks. "If this costs me my season because of that, he needs to be reprimanded. I'm taking some action. I'm not going to stand pat and accept this because I didn't do nothing wrong."
The punchless Padres retained their half-game lead over Philadelphia, which lost 5-3 to Washington, while the Rockies pulled within 1 1/2 games by winning their season-high eighth straight.
San Diego stayed 2 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West with seven to play. Colorado is four back of the Diamondbacks with six games remaining.
An inning before Bradley was hurt, the Padres lost center fielder Mike Cameron after Bradley stepped on his right hand while the two pursued Garrett Atkins' inside-the-park home run.
As Bradley walked to the plate in the eighth inning, he and umpire Brian Runge talked for about 25 seconds.
Bradley singled, then said something to Winters. Later on in Kevin Kouzmanoff's at-bat, it escalated into an argument, with Bradley going toward Winters. First base coach Bobby Meacham began to restrain Bradley and Black came running out. Bradley got away from Meacham, but Black grabbed him by the jersey.
Bradley was attempting to get free and, after a few seconds, Black spun Bradley around and the player collapsed. Bradley immediately grabbed his right knee and eventually had to be helped off the field.
"I was trying to pull Milton away from the argument," Black said.
Runge said that after Bradley struck out looking to end the fifth, he "flipped the bat about 5-10 feet in front of me."
Bradley said Runge asked him in the eighth if he threw his bat at him.
"I said, 'Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous.' He said, 'Well, it was reported to me by the other umpires that you threw your bat at me.' And I said, 'That's completely ridiculous. I've done a lot of things. I'm trying to turn it around. I would never harm anybody."'
Once on first base, Bradley asked Winters if he told Runge he threw his bat. "He goes, 'Yeah, you did.' I go, 'Are you kidding me? That's completely ridiculous. If I strike out and the inning's over, why are you looking at me? Everything's always about me."'
Then, a fan heckled Winters.
"I pointed to the guy in the crowd, affirming it," Bradley said.
Bradley said Winters responded with a string of expletives.
"That's when I went at him and he kicked me out," Bradley said.
Crew chief Bruce Froemming wouldn't allow a reporter to speak with Winters.
Froemming said Bradley "got grumpy with Mike Winters. Winters told him to knock it off and he continued it. There is no covering up what he did. He had to be physically restrained. We're not going to put up with it if he wants to talk."
One batter later, Black ran onto the field after third-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called a checked-swing strike on Adrian Gonzalez and was ejected.
Meacham defended Bradley.
"In 26 years of baseball, I can honestly say that's the most disconcerting conversation I have ever heard from an umpire to a player," Meacham said. "It was almost like he wanted to agitate the whole thing. He wanted to get Milton boiling for some reason. Milton, he held his cool. I was just appalled."
Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, a former general manager and president of the Oakland Athletics, said he'd never seen a player injured like that. "But as far as I'm concerned, it was necessary," he said.
Alderson used to work in the commissioner's office, where one of his duties was overseeing umpires.
"We're not going to sit by and see an umpire bait a player," Alderson said. He added that if the commissioner's office concludes the situation was handled appropriately, "I'll be shocked."
What started as just another Milton Bradley outburst has turned into something far more serious, not to mention damaging to the San Diego Padres' postseason hopes.
A major-league source told FOXSports.com that Bradley suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black from going after first base umpire Mike Winters during Sunday's loss to the Colorado Rockies.
The injury will sideline Bradley for the rest of the season — and the playoffs, assuming the Padres can hold onto their tenuous wild-card lead — and will require surgery.
Bradley was ejected and then hurt his right knee when Black spun him to the ground in an attempt to keep him from going after the umpire.
The Padres were livid, claiming that Winters baited Bradley in the eighth inning, leading to a confrontation that overshadowed the surging Rockies' 7-3 win and an impressive three-game sweep of the wild card-leading Padres.
Bradley, whose volatile temper has overshadowed his talent during his career, called it "the most unprofessional and most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."
"It's terrible. And now, because of him, my knee's hurt," said Bradley, a second-half catalyst for the Padres who was in his third game back from an injury that sidelined him for nearly two weeks. "If this costs me my season because of that, he needs to be reprimanded. I'm taking some action. I'm not going to stand pat and accept this because I didn't do nothing wrong."
The punchless Padres retained their half-game lead over Philadelphia, which lost 5-3 to Washington, while the Rockies pulled within 1 1/2 games by winning their season-high eighth straight.
San Diego stayed 2 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West with seven to play. Colorado is four back of the Diamondbacks with six games remaining.
An inning before Bradley was hurt, the Padres lost center fielder Mike Cameron after Bradley stepped on his right hand while the two pursued Garrett Atkins' inside-the-park home run.
As Bradley walked to the plate in the eighth inning, he and umpire Brian Runge talked for about 25 seconds.
Bradley singled, then said something to Winters. Later on in Kevin Kouzmanoff's at-bat, it escalated into an argument, with Bradley going toward Winters. First base coach Bobby Meacham began to restrain Bradley and Black came running out. Bradley got away from Meacham, but Black grabbed him by the jersey.
Bradley was attempting to get free and, after a few seconds, Black spun Bradley around and the player collapsed. Bradley immediately grabbed his right knee and eventually had to be helped off the field.
"I was trying to pull Milton away from the argument," Black said.
Runge said that after Bradley struck out looking to end the fifth, he "flipped the bat about 5-10 feet in front of me."
Bradley said Runge asked him in the eighth if he threw his bat at him.
"I said, 'Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous.' He said, 'Well, it was reported to me by the other umpires that you threw your bat at me.' And I said, 'That's completely ridiculous. I've done a lot of things. I'm trying to turn it around. I would never harm anybody."'
Once on first base, Bradley asked Winters if he told Runge he threw his bat. "He goes, 'Yeah, you did.' I go, 'Are you kidding me? That's completely ridiculous. If I strike out and the inning's over, why are you looking at me? Everything's always about me."'
Then, a fan heckled Winters.
"I pointed to the guy in the crowd, affirming it," Bradley said.
Bradley said Winters responded with a string of expletives.
"That's when I went at him and he kicked me out," Bradley said.
Crew chief Bruce Froemming wouldn't allow a reporter to speak with Winters.
Froemming said Bradley "got grumpy with Mike Winters. Winters told him to knock it off and he continued it. There is no covering up what he did. He had to be physically restrained. We're not going to put up with it if he wants to talk."
One batter later, Black ran onto the field after third-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called a checked-swing strike on Adrian Gonzalez and was ejected.
Meacham defended Bradley.
"In 26 years of baseball, I can honestly say that's the most disconcerting conversation I have ever heard from an umpire to a player," Meacham said. "It was almost like he wanted to agitate the whole thing. He wanted to get Milton boiling for some reason. Milton, he held his cool. I was just appalled."
Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, a former general manager and president of the Oakland Athletics, said he'd never seen a player injured like that. "But as far as I'm concerned, it was necessary," he said.
Alderson used to work in the commissioner's office, where one of his duties was overseeing umpires.
"We're not going to sit by and see an umpire bait a player," Alderson said. He added that if the commissioner's office concludes the situation was handled appropriately, "I'll be shocked."
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