Twins' Josh Donaldson Slams MLB Umpires over Controversial Ejection

Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson addressed his ejection in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Donaldson hit a homer in the sixth inning and proceeded to signal his frustration with umpire Dan Bellino by purposefully kicking dirt on home plate as he finished his home run trot.

The three-time All-Star explained Saturday how his larger issue is the lack of accountability for MLB umpires, per ESPN.com:

"[If] the umpire consistently isn't doing [his] job correctly, that's affecting our careers, that's affecting our success. At the end of the day, there's no reprimand, no accountability for the guys that are making the decision. As a matter of fact, they don't care. They don't care at all, most of them. They just want to get the game over with, for the most part, and it's pretty sad because guys are making six figures a year and there's no accountability."

Donaldson had some reason to be upset after Bellino signaled for a strike on a slider that missed away. He told reporters he asked Bellino for an explanation on the call, to which Bellino didn't respond.

"He was wanting me to do something, so I gave it to him," Donaldson said of Bellino with regard to dragging dirt on the plate. "I was like, 'Look, if he really wants this attention, I'll give it to him.'"

Donaldson said he hadn't yet heard from MLB officials about a fine or suspension for his actions. If the league didn't feel his show of defiance was worthy of retrospective action, it might feel differently after his comments Saturday.

Ian Kinsler similarly received a $10,000 fine in August 2017 after directing his ire toward Angel Hernandez.

A comparable penalty would be drop in the bucket for Donaldson, who's in the first year of his four-year, $92 million deal with Minnesota.