Kevin Gausman Ejected vs. Red Sox Due to 'High Alert,' Says It Was 'Bush League'

After tossing Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox for hitting shortstop Xander Bogaerts with a pitch, home plate umpire Sam Holbrook explained his decision.

Holbrook said in a statement to reporters he was on "high alert" due to the recent issues between the two teams: "Just given the situation and the tension between the two clubs and all the stuff that's gone on over the past few weeks, we're all on high alert with anything. I know that the ball was a curveball, but it hit him square in the back, and just making a split decision at that point right there, there needs to be an end to this stuff, and I felt like the ejection was the right thing to do at the time, and that's what we did. Thankfully, we didn't have any more problems for the rest of the game."

Following Baltimore's 4-2 loss, Gausman called the ejection "pretty bush league."

The feud between the Orioles and Red Sox began April 21 when O's third baseman Manny Machado spiked Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia while sliding into the base.

Two days later, Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes was ejected for throwing behind Machado's head.

Tuesday, Boston pitcher Chris Sale threw behind Machado and received only a warning, which didn't sit well with Gausman after his ejection: "He did it on purpose, and everybody knew it. For him to get away with it, and I hit a guy with a curveball and they throw me out of the game, that's pretty ridiculous."

Additionally, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was the subject of racist taunts from some fans at Fenway Park on Monday.

With emotions running high on both sides, Holbrook attempted to gain control of the situation by tossing Gausman immediately.

While there were no further incidents, Baltimore was forced to turn to reliever Richard Bleier, who surrendered three runs in four innings of work.

The Orioles and Red Sox will meet again Thursday night at Fenway Park in the series finale.