San Diego Padres star Manny Machado was suspended one game by MLB for “aggressively arguing and making contact” with home plate umpire Bill Welke on Saturday.
As news of his suspension broke on Monday, it was also reported that Machado is appealing it, denying he contacted Welke at all.
On Tuesday, the MLB Umpires Association lashed out at Machado with a scathing statement over the incident.
The hashtags alone make it clear that the MLB Umpires Association believes Machado’s defense is balderdash.
For what it’s worth, Machado thinks he has a good case for an appeal: “I didn’t think I touched him,” Machado said, via MLB.com. “The video says it all. We’re going to appeal it, and we think we’ve got a good case.”