Major League Baseball Player Goes Ballistic After Strike 3 Call, Hits Ump With Bouncing Helmet

Brett Lawrie will likely be spending some time at home away from his time for his outburst last night.

That's because after a questionable strike three call by umpire Bill Miller, Lawrie went absolutely ballistic. How ballistic? He yanked the helmet off his head, and slammed it on the ground toward Miller such that it bounced up and hit Miller in the side. And while Major League Baseball tacitly approves of arguing with umps, the moment a player makes any sort of contact with one, the commissioner usually brings down the hammer.

Here's the video, which starts with the pitch before (also a questionable strike call) and shows the tension building. And if you're like me, you will probably be a little concerned -- it looks like at any minute Lawrie will start pummeling Miller:

But the drama didn't end there. At the end of the game, a fan chucked a beer at Miller, leading to some choice words from the umpire if you can read lips. You can see that here.

By the way, all this reminds me: Have you seen the video of the Little League umpire with the whacky punch-out call from Mother's Day? Could he soon see a Lawrie-like argument with a parent if he keeps this up in Little League?