Rangers' Jeff Banister ejected after Angels out turns into double

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Jeff Banister was ejected Monday night after the Los Angeles Angels won a replay challenge on a play that became a ground-rule double after Yunel Escobar was thrown out trying to turn the hit into a triple.

After being out by several feet sliding into third base in the sixth inning, Escobar motioned toward the outfield. Manager Mike Scioscia then challenged that the ball had become lodged underneath the padding on the wall in right-center field and should have been ruled dead, as per the ground rules for the Rangers' ballpark.

"We thought that someone put their hands up like it was out of play. I think that's what [Escobar] saw,'' Scioscia said. "He kind of stutter-stepped and slowed down.''

The replay showed that the ball had lodged under the padding. Right fielder Nomar Mazara had to reach twice to get the ball but never indicated that the ball was stuck.

When umpires put Escobar at second base, Banister immediately came out of the dugout and was ejected by crew chief and second base umpire Joe West when he continued to argue the call.

"From the infield, you can't tell if it's stuck. ... But when we went to replay, they said it stuck. So it's plain and simple a ground-rule double,'' West told a pool reporter after the game.

"I had an outfielder who felt like the ball was not lodged. If you look at the video, the ball was still spinning,'' Banister said. "In my estimation, that is not a lodged baseball. But that's not my call.''

Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland was ejected after taking a called third strike to end the fourth inning. The pitch appeared to Moreland to be outside. Although the first baseman had some words with home plate umpire Kerwin Danley as he walked back to the dugout, there were no demonstrative actions before the ejection.

After Moreland realized he had been tossed from the game, he turned and started to argue before Banister got between his player and the umpire.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.