Kazmir rages at umpire's strike zone after Rays lose to Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Manager Joe Maddon made his frustration with home-plate umpire Derryl Cousins very obvious during a seventh-inning pitching change Wednesday, complaining vociferously enough about the strike zone to be ejected.

Rays starter Scott Kazmir waited until after the vexing 4-2 loss to share his, complaining not only about missed strike calls during several key at-bats but questioning the veteran umpire's reputation and integrity, accusing him of making certain calls to make up for others.

"I never said anything like this about an umpire but that was just a crucial part of the game and you just don't do that," Kazmir said. "Makeup calls or not makeup calls; call it when it's there. You know what I mean? You shouldn't change your strike zone just because of the count. It doesn't make sense."

Kazmir, 24, used an assortment of adjectives to describe Cousins' performance including "unbelievable," "ridiculous" and "amazing." Several times, he said, "I've never seen anything like that before."

Cousins, a veteran of 28 seasons and a crew chief, was dismissive when the comments were relayed to him.

"I didn't know he's been around that long," Cousins told the Times. "I've got nothing to say. … It won't be the first time or the last time that he says something."

Kazmir, dazzling early in retiring the first 14 Angels as he sought a seventh straight win, had issues with several pitches, but the most grievous was in the seventh as he was battling to protect a 2-1 lead.

The Angels had two on and two out, and Kazmir had a 2-and-2 count on Reggie Willits. The next pitch was close, and Cousins called it ball three. The pitch after that was a fastball that Kazmir said was over the white part of the plate but Cousins told catcher Dioner Navarro was outside, loading the bases.

"As soon as Willits got up, it was like, 'You can swing if you want to, but if not, just take your base. Thanks for coming. It's all good,' " Kazmir said.

Kazmir stared in, bent at the knees, in disbelief. Maddon was unhappy, too, and said later his issue with Cousins was that the strike zone needs to stay the same throughout the game, "that things don't change when it gets hot."

Kazmir had already thrown a season-high 113 pitches by then (including an intentional walk), but Maddon said he had no thoughts of making a change, based on Kazmir's frustration or performance.

"That situation, bases loaded, I'm not going to take him out. I'm not," Maddon said. "He's the right guy for that moment, and I trust him. And it just didn't happen. He pitched great, and I'm very pleased with his performance."

Kazmir admitted the blown call was still in his mind as faced Maicer Izturis and threw four consecutive fastballs. Izturis fouled three off, then singled to the right of center, scoring two to put the Angels up 3-2. Vladimir Guerrero added a homer in the eighth off J.P. Howell.

Kazmir said he had been told before the game by "veterans" on the Rays that Cousins didn't like to call third strikes and that his nickname was "Shoebox," a reference to the size of the strike zone. With that idea in his head, Kazmir — who had 10 strikeouts, but all swinging — became increasingly frustrated as the afternoon wore on as the Rays completed a key road trip 3-6 and dropped to 38-28.

And it wasn't just the pitches that weren't called strikes he was upset about. Kazmir said that after Cousins didn't give him a third-strike call on an earlier at-bat to Willits, he called the first pitch to the next batter a strike, even though it was "literally almost in the dirt," and that wasn't right, either.

"You just don't call someone out on strikes, but on the next pitch you try to make up for it? … How is that okay?" Kazmir said. "It's like it was already pre-determined, like he already had it in his head what he was going to call."

Comments on this article

by Jason	Jun 14, 2008 11:02 PM
And the executives in the MLB start to cheat because they don't want the Rays in the World Series because it's about the ratings!They want the Red Socks and the Cubs probaly because Red socks fans make up about 25% of all fans and Yankees another 25%

by Nathan	Jun 14, 2008 10:45 PM
that would tick the heck out of me the only thing you can do is to get it out of your head and focus on whats in front of you now but lifes unfair torward the Rays thats for sure

by beedogs	Jun 14, 2008 10:45 PM
welcome to the world of the new york yankees. this kind of BS meddling with the strike zone has been happening for YEARS! nothing will change until bud selig is thrown in jail for ruining baseball.

by Rich	Jun 14, 2008 10:45 PM
You people want to turn yet another sport into some kind of sterile boring crap. There have always been blown calls in baseball, and god willing there always will be. Its the history we're talking about. Quit whining rich boy and deal with it

by Dave	Jun 14, 2008 10:45 PM
Get your checkbook out Scott.

by db	Jun 14, 2008 10:45 PM
I watch many baseball games every week. I've never seen poor umpiring like this year, Miss call after call. To many old blind men doing the umping

by J	Jun 14, 2008 10:44 PM
Get used to it. All pro sports are corrupt. Whether its for betting, ratings or umpire egos. What we see in the NBA is just the tip of the iceburg. There is to much money up for grabs and greed takes over. What a croc.

by Joe	Jun 14, 2008 10:44 PM
Derryl Cousins should be in a substance abuse program.

by Matt	Jun 13, 2008 9:42 AM
Ok, I'm getting sick of the crap that the Rays are subjected to day after day. How in the world can you win games when the umpires, the owners, the media, and the commissioner are against you??? The Rays keep getting screwed out of a great season!

by Edgar	Jun 12, 2008 6:49 PM
1. Kazmir should had been out of the inning with a 2-1 lead. 2. Since he got screwed by the home plate umpire, Joe Maddon should had taking hime out. You can tell he was frustrated and tired. That was Maddon fault on that game too.

by DEM	Jun 12, 2008 3:05 PM
As long as Baseball has its worse Commissioner in history (unless Namoli replaces Selig) & the powerfull rich whinny teams w/ intimidating crowds (the Yankees & Red Sox leap to mind) hold sway the officiating will not improve (by using technology).

by Dale	Jun 12, 2008 3:01 PM
This is really getting ridiculous. These umps need to be held accountable for their calls at some point. Allow the replays to be shown on the jumbotron at stadiums, and allow them to put the strike zone up there.

by Jim	Jun 12, 2008 3:01 PM
Bad move publicly complaining about umpires within a week of a brawl. If the team gets a "punk" reputation it will be hard to live down.

by Bryan	Jun 12, 2008 3:01 PM
Right or wrong Kaz should have kept his remarks out of the press. Don't like what's happened to the team on this trip. It sounds like a team succumbing to the stress of trying to maintain a lofty position in the standings. Hope I?m wrong.

by Tony G	Jun 12, 2008 3:00 PM
I watched the game on MLBTV, the first disputed pitch could go either way, the second was strke 3, the Ump even appeared to call it, then stopped. FYI, the basehit afterward was the same pitch.

by David	Jun 12, 2008 3:00 PM
You never want to sound like a cry baby after a loss, but maybe the money has finally become so big that the officiating in all sports needs to be reviewed by an indepentant source after games. It is too easy for officials to steer outcomes.

by BB	Jun 12, 2008 3:00 PM
Based on some of the calls made this year, some of the "veteran" umpires (such as Cousins with 28 seasons of experience) need to be forced to retire. They seem to think they can do no wrong just because they are experienced.

by DIZ	Jun 12, 2008 2:59 PM
This ump needs to be sh**canned by MLB muy pronto!

by RD	Jun 12, 2008 2:57 PM
Look at the replay of ball 3 pitch to Willits. Narvaro catches the ball and moves the glove to try to frame the pitch and Kazmir looks surprised, next pitch is closer in the zone and Narvaro moves just slightly so Cossins makes Kazir pay with ball 4

by Fred	Jun 12, 2008 2:54 PM
I think that umpires should be monitored and penilized when they have a reputation for bad calls. If they are habitual offenders they should be fined or fired. They need to send them a tape so they can correct it or get out of the game.

by Tonoccus	Jun 12, 2008 2:44 PM
If the umpire has the authority to change the size of an imaginary box at will, shouldn't the teams be able to add runs to their score when they see fit?

by Roger	Jun 12, 2008 2:40 PM
Kazmir is fighting something that he can't beat. These umpires are going to go out of the way to screw the Rays now. Not a good idea to speak up.

by glenn	Jun 12, 2008 1:56 PM
Judges are required in most sports. Some sports have helped limit the errors necessarily involved when humans are in the picture by replays. Time for baseball to utilize replays in a big way, as way too many of their games are decided by bad calls.

by JWE	Jun 12, 2008 1:09 PM
I've always thought baseball umpires had different strike zones to suit "their" eyes and pleasures. It's not right for any team to have to put up with garbage like that. I also think umpires have gotten too big for their chest protecters!

by ouch	Jun 12, 2008 1:09 PM
Come on Rays pull your head out of your rear ends. Umpires have and always will have moving strike zones. You make adjustments . We have gone from the Fighting Rays to the Crying Rays ? Toughen up or to last place you will slide.

by bob	Jun 12, 2008 12:10 PM
nba ref's cheat so do ump's in baseball we need a watchdog like internal affairs,and reply

by Jord	Jun 12, 2008 12:10 PM
Memo to Kaz:Umps carry a grudge ;)

by Scotty	Jun 12, 2008 12:10 PM
That crappy umpire cost me my free Dunkin Donuts today and now I have to figure out another way to fill me belly. Please Rays, beat the Marlins Friday so I have something to eat this week. My favorites are double chocolate and peanut, of course.

by Dee	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
Is baseball the only sport that does not care that wins & loses are determined soley by the players on the field and not the whims of the officials? Officials (i.e., umpires) are supposed to be functionaries. Get over the God-complex & start serving.

by JDM	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
Hello!!! It's called lassers and instant replay. If properly used this would allow umps to much more accurately CALL games rather than CHANGE outcomes. This would end most ejections and most of the current ire against umpires.

by gob	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
that was a particularly grievous bit of umpiring.

by Mad	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
In every other sport the goal of officiating is to acurately call everything in order to acurately decide which individual or team in a game really put forth the winning effort. Baseball's goal is to protect the arbitrary decissions of umps.

by russ	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
the Rays have been whining wayyyy to much over umpire calls in general,, & balls/strikes a lot. Need to get over it.

by Mike	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
MLB needs to take a serious look at Cousins while he pitches future games. MLB does not need the credibility of 1 ump to hurt the image of MLB.

by JEFF	Jun 12, 2008 12:09 PM
How with todays technology can the archaic-minded umpires union be allowed to arbitrarily blow calls instead of acurately calling games? It's time to bring Baseball into the 21st cent. as other sports have done so only the players decide games.