'Fired up' Rox claw back vs. Crew after Schaeffer's animated ejection

MILWAUKEE -- First came the gum.

Then came the hat.

Then came the hook.

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer got his money’s worth after being ejected for the first time in his big league managerial career from the Rockies’ 4-3, 11-inning win over the Brewers on Sunday at American Family Field.

Tyler Freeman led off the top of the third, taking a called strike one on a sinker that looked a bit inside, and then fouling off a slider. On the third offering from Milwaukee starter Chad Patrick, he again held back from swinging. The pitch appeared to clip the bottom of the zone, though it then bounced out of Brewers catcher William Contreras’ glove.

Regardless, home-plate umpire Ramon De Jesus rang Freeman up.

Freeman was visibly frustrated with the call and said something to De Jesus, who then quickly ejected him from the game.

"I didn't swear. I didn't really say anything rude,” Freeman said. “All I said was like, 'Come on, bro. That's twice,' and he tossed me. I think I'm kind of more of a calm person anyways, in general, and for him to toss me just didn't feel right.”

That’s when Schaeffer entered the picture.

The first-time big league manager ran from the dugout toward home plate. As he began exchanging words with De Jesus, he paused to take the gum out of his mouth and threw it to the ground. Then, he took the ballcap off his head and slammed that down, too.

That was enough for De Jesus, who immediately tossed him. But that wasn’t enough for Schaeffer. He walked to the plate, crouched down and demonstrated where he felt the previous pitch was for De Jesus.

He then got up, walked back to De Jesus, said something else and headed back to the dugout. But as he reached the top step, he turned around, went back to De Jesus and gave him some final thoughts.

"I just didn't like the fact that he got rid of Freeman so quick after Freeman didn't cuss at him, didn't show him up, didn't do anything to him,” Schaeffer said.

“I like Ramon, but that was way too quick to get rid of Freeman. Way too quick. One of our best players, in the third inning? That's ridiculous.”

Freeman’s ejection was a critical aspect of the ordeal for Colorado. He entered the game batting .378 with a .991 OPS in June. He extended his career-best on-base streak to 15 games with a leadoff walk, but that ultimately was his only plate appearance Sunday.

"I've just got to stick up for my player,” Schaeffer said. “When something happens like that, where it's just sensitivity and [he] gets rid of him because he's sensitive, that can't happen.”

Perhaps Freeman could’ve stayed hot and helped the Rockies put more runs on the board earlier in the game. Fortunately, his teammates stepped up in his absence.

Trailing by two entering the eighth inning, Colorado rallied back with Brenton Doyle’s RBI double and Orlando Arcia’s game-tying home run in the ninth, forcing extra innings. Kyle Farmer’s RBI single in the 11th gave the Rockies the lead, and Tyler Kinley closed out the game.

“I loved the way they fought today,” Schaeffer said. “That's more of what we've been seeing recently. A fantastic job by a lot of guys.”

Perhaps it was Schaeffer going to bat for his player that helped spark his team.

"Schaeff is awesome. He's done such a good job with us,” Farmer said. “He's going to have his players’ backs, and seeing how fast he went out there meant a lot to us. … Anything like that, especially when you see your manager turn red and bald and run out there fast, it'll get you fired up.”

“He has our backs, more than anything,” Freeman said. “It fired me up to see that, in a good way. It just got the boys going. I mean, we ended up winning that game.”

On Friday, Schaeffer said his team is “still learning how to win as a group.” Sunday being its 19th win of the season shows that, but it was also the Rockies' 10th win in June, more than they had in March, April and May combined.

There’s still progress to be made, but a hard-fought win like Sunday and recently putting together overall competitive efforts more consistently are positive signs for the Rockies.

It certainly helps to see firsthand that their manager has their backs.