Tarp or tossed? Ump says he didn’t ‘eject’ O’s grounds crew

By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer

Even for baseball fans who’ve seen everything, this was a bizarre sight: The entire Baltimore Orioles’ grounds crew, perched behind the tarp and poised to spring into action as a storm approached, suddenly got told by an umpire to scram. That’s how it looked Wednesday night at Camden Yards as the Orioles clung to a one-run lead in the ninth inning over the New York Yankees. Ready to roll out the tarp, the grounds crew was standing in foul territory beyond first base. Acting umpire crew chief Tim Timmons then emphatically waved several times for them to leave. In a text to The Associated Press, Timmons said he didn’t eject the grounds crew. Timmons said it was getting too crowded in that area. The Yankees won 4-3.