Shawn Kelley (Photo by Getty Images)
It was the top of the 9th , and the Nationals were already well on the way to destroying the New York Mets with a 25-1 lead.
I said "on the way," but lets be real here, bub. That game was over long over before the 9th inning.
So it's not unexpected that the Nats would send in a relief pitcher to ride out the end the game.
Easy as pie - right? Well, not so much.
Maybe relief pitchers aren't known for being "top of the pops." They are who they are for a reason - which brings us to Mr. Shawn Kelley.
Kelley is - or "was," such a pitcher for the Nationals. His last game would be that same 25-point monster.
But why?
Well, during the course of that inning, Kelley helped the Nats lose their 24-point lead - giving up 3 runs to the Mets and closing out the game (still victorious) at 25-4.
Guess what? Kelley was upset. And yeah, maybe rightfully so.
But in the heat of moment, Kelley threw his glove on the ground. And in all honesty, why not? Clearly, it wasn't doing him any good.
Well, in today's trigger-happy and "knee-jerk" environment, you can't let your emotions get the best of you in public. The Nationals ultimately decided to place Kelley as DFA ("designated for assignment") meaning he is officially on his way out of being a National.
Fans are upset due to Kelley's impressive record and are taking to Twitter in droves to express their discontent:
Accusations of hypocrisy are also abound, with some pointing at similar outbursts of rage in baseball (and other major sports) resulting often merely in fines or suspensions.
We opened up the show today talking about the Nationals' controversial decision. Listen in the KFI player below!
Check out the full scoop over at Yahoo! Sports.