Dave Martinez gets money's worth in ejection, throws base

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Nationals manager Davey Martinez wasn't going to leave without putting up an argument.

Or without throwing a base, apparently.

During Wednesday's Nats-Cubs game, Martinez got ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Chris Conroy about a dropped third strike. Shortstop Trea Turner reached first base, but Conroy called him out for running inside the base path.

"I am beside myself now with this whole out of the baseline thing. I think it’s awful," Martinez told Washington reporters postgame.

Turner was called out on the same play in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series, and Martinez got ejected for arguing that call.

History repeated itself Wednesday, and Martinez, the former Cubs bench coach, demonstrated to Conroy how he viewed Turner's path to the base several times.

"If he’s running straight down the line and the catcher makes a bad throw, what do you do?" Martinez said. "He didn’t even run hard and he made it to first base. And [Conroy is] going to call him out?

"I’m over it. Really, I’m over it."

Conroy stuck by his call and didn't award Turner first. So, Martinez made it (temporarily) impossible for anyone to reach the bag.

Cubs fans got an absolute kick out of the moment, cheering Martinez on as he removed the base. They gave a member of the grounds crew an ovation equally as loud, if not louder, when they put the base back in the ground.

Martinez said postgame he understands it's a judgment call, but "it's a bad judgment, plain and simple," he added. 

"I’m going to argue a thousand times when that happens," Martinez said. "I really am. I’m sick of it. 

"It‘s a brutal call and I’m done hiding it. I don’t know what they’re going to do about it, but it’s awful."

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