1.   And after throwing his three warm-up pitches, he asked the plate umpire, Dan Morrison, for a new ball.

2.   And the plate umpire, Jerry Crawford, agreed.

3.   As Kim warmed up, Mets Manager Bobby Valentine came out of the dugout and stood next to plate umpire Larry Poncino, gesturing toward the mound.

4.   As Martinez staggered to first, plate umpire Drew Coble immediately ejected Benitez while Yankees began spilling from the dugout.

5.   As the Braves left New York Thursday night, the Mets seemed more concerned with rookie plate umpire Phil Cuzzi than their own fate.

6.   As he left the game, the righthander had a few words for plate umpire Joe Brinkman, whose strike zone seemed inconsistent.

7.   As the crowd expressed its displeasure, plate umpire Jim Joyce ruled otherwise.

8.   Astros manager Jimy Williams was livid, and he made his dissatisfaction clear while running out to protest the call and earning an ejection from plate umpire Jim Wolf.

9.   At that point, plate umpire Wally Bell warned both teams.

10.   At least one of those steeds, first baseman Karros, felt plate umpire Greg Bonin had been particularly friendly to the pitchers of both teams.