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CINCINNATI–A visibly shaken Ryan Dempster struggled to answer questions from reporters following Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Dempster, the Chicago Cubs closer, picked up the save in the Cubs’ victory, but not after giving up a walk in the inning, which caused Cubs manager Lou Piniella to pay a visit to Dempster on the mound.

Dempster struggled to even recall specifics of the event which left him so perturbed.

“To be honest, I vaguely remember throwing a ball to Griffey after I gave up a walk, and I remember Lou coming out of the dugout, but then it gets a bit hazy,” Dempster said. “I’m pretty sure he said, ‘Trust your stuff.’”

“That’s not what I [expletive] said,” an angry Piniella said after the game. “I said, ‘We’ve got a three run lead, throw [expletive] strikes!’ I didn’t want to be out there any longer. I was freezing my [expletive] [genitals] off.”

During the post-game press conference, Dempster appeared jumpy and agitated, sometimes snapping at simple questions asked by reporters in attendance. After the conference, Dempster was taken in for treatment of suspected post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his run-in with Piniella.