Acuña hit by 1st pitch of game; López, Mattingly tossed

ATLANTA (AP) — Miami Marlins starter Pablo López and manager Don Mattingly were both ejected after López hit Atlanta Braves slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. with the first pitch of the game Friday night.

The Marlins have a history of hitting Acuña. Miami pitcher José Ureña hit him in a rivalry that began in 2018, but it did not appear that López intended to do the same when Acuña was struck in the back of the left arm.

After he was hit by the Marlins for the fifth time in his career, Acuña stood at the plate and took his time walking to first. Braves manager Brian Snitker immediately came out of the dugout to protest and gestured that López should be ejected for intentionally hitting his slugger.

The umpiring crew convened on the infield, and crew chief Dan Iassogna raised his arm to throw out López, who stayed on the field for a couple of minutes to argue his case. Mattingly was incensed as he emerged from the dugout and was tossed soon thereafter. He continued talking to umpires after he was ejected but eventually left the field.

Ross Detwiler replaced López.

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