Howard pounced on third base umpire Scott Barry after Barry had sent off for throwing his helmet in disgust after the referee rung to the Phillies slugger in a marked swing in the bottom of the inning 14.
Expulsion turned the normally placid Howard in a raging bull when they broke into the third-base line to Barry, only to be stopped by their peers and Sam Holbrook, the second base umpire.
Usually, a reaction like Howard would be grounds for suspension, but Howard could prevent the actions of Barry because that leads to expulsion were not exactly a manual of instructions to referees. "Four pitches before calling Howard Barry Howard ruled that swung over another sharp blow. After the call, Howard got his hands on his hips and looked at Barry as if to say: "Are you kidding?" Barry Howard imitated gesture in an almost mocking. That's a no-no referee is supposed to make the call and move to the next.
"I would be surprised if it is suspended, in fact," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Howard.
Major League Baseball is reviewing the incident, as they do with all the ejections. Two people with knowledge of the review and discussions between the Phillies and MLB officials said they doubted Howard would be suspended. One person said Barry could be called on the carpet for his imitation of Howard after the second release of the at-bat.
Barry was booed loudly by the crowd at Citizens Bank Park before the game Wednesday night.
Howard declined to comment Wednesday, but was in good spirits, smiling and joking with his teammates and even journalists who stopped by his locker for comment.
Howard was not in the starting lineup for the match on Wednesday night. After playing 14 innings in his left ankle he injured recently, he was given the night off to Manuel. Howard has struggled since coming off the disabled list Saturday - had a total of eight strikeouts in games Monday and Tuesday - and Manuel thought Howard would be good to rest as the Astros left-hander JA Happ were sending to the mound.
"He's still trying to find his swing," said Manuel. "I know he has to play to do that, but with a day game [Thursday] and we face the lefties back to back, I thought this was a good time for a day of rest."
Mike Sweeney started at first base for the Phillies. Chase Utley batted cleanup in the usual place of Howard.
Oswalt Sports
Howard ejected Tuesday night came after the Phillies had exhausted their supply of reserves players. The pitcher Roy Oswalt was forced to play left field to move Raul Ibanez to first base.
When Howard was sent off, Oswalt took a look around the house and assumed that he could play in the field. He ran to the clubhouse, tied for his barbed and ran toward the dugout, where he was told to take the field.
"It was the most adrenaline I've felt since my first day in the big leagues," said Oswalt, a 10-year veteran.
A goal in his foray into the left Oswalt caught a ball from Jason Castro. Oswalt laughed as the crowd gave him a standing ovation and former teammates in the dugout in Houston Razz.
Oswalt had never played in the outfield in a baseball game.
"Once in a softball game with my dad when I was 12 years," he said.
He was a pitcher-shortstop in high school. He joked that he thought to ask to play shortstop, but "Jimmy Rollins had never played in the outfield, so the shortstop did not want to run it."
As Oswalt took the field, center fielder Shane Victorino was offered to try to catch a flyball high if it was a runner on base and a shot was needed.
"Of course not," Oswalt said Victorino. "This is what I've been waiting for."
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