ATLANTA -- With two quick flips of his thumb during the third inning of Saturday afternoon's game at Turner Field, veteran umpire Ron Kulpa moved Braves manager Bobby Cox one step away from an all-time record and also handed John Smoltz a career first.

Then about 20 minutes after the Phillies had concluded their 6-4 win over the Braves, Kulpa and crew chief Dale Scott both made a point to indicate just how much respect they have for Cox, who, with his 130th career ejection, now stands just one away from the all-time record set by Hall of Fame manager John McGraw.

"I've never had a problem with Bobby," Kulpa said. "This is my ninth year and this is the first time that I've ever ejected him. I don't think any umpire is out there looking to get Bobby. Bobby respects us and we have a lot of respect for him."

When Cox was tossed from Friday night's series opener against the Phillies, he knew the called third strike that Edgar Renteria was disputing with home-plate umpire Paul Emmel was borderline. But he also knew that he had to protect his player and in doing so, he earned yet another ejection.

Cox's latest ejection came while he was disputing that Willie Harris' chopper down the line that landed just beyond first base should have been ruled fair. Kulpa says he issued a warning before giving the Braves manager the thumb when he once again pointed to the ground to show where he believed the ball had hit the chalk.

Cox, who has admitted that he is somewhat embarrassed by the impending record, contends the ball was fair. But as he always does, Cox wasn't willing to throw any disparaging marks toward an umpire who had just ejected him.

"It was fair," Cox said. "We're losing 4-1 at the time, and I thought it was big because the run would be in and [Harris] might even get a triple, as fast as he is."

After the game, Smoltz indicated that, given the fact that Harris eventually reached and scored, the call was pretty much inconsequential. But at the same time, he was still voicing the same displeasure that had gotten him ejected just moments after Cox.

Smoltz, who wasn't even in the game, was ejected while yelling toward Kulpa from a spot in the Braves' dugout directly across from first base. In 20 Major League seasons, he says this is his third career ejection and first that has come while he's been in the dugout.

"I didn't say anything that warranted getting thrown out, not one bit," Smoltz said. "I told him he missed the call, and the next thing you know, I'm getting thrown out. It's pretty weak. But maybe he's having a bad day."

Like with Cox, Kulpa says that he issued a warning before ejecting Smoltz.

"Smoltz isn't allowed to stand over there and scream at me about a play from the dugout," Kulpa said. "That's Bobby's job. I warned him because I wasn't going to continue to listen to him. He continued to yell and that's when he got ejected."

Smoltz -- who made a point to say "[Kulpa's] ears are really good" -- is among the many Braves players who aren't exactly excitedly anticipating the moments when Cox ties and passes McGraw. They understand the fact that many of these ejections are just a product of the fact that he wants to protect each of his players.

While they are the ones handing out these ejections, many of these umpires have gained their respect for Cox because of the fact that he is constantly willing to argue for his players.

"One thing about Bobby is he protects his players," Scott said. "He goes out there and makes sure his players don't get run. He does his job. It's not because umpires are looking to get him, it's because he steps up and gets his guys' backs. Some managers kind of let the guys go. He doesn't. I think that's why he has a lot of ejections. That's a good attribute for him."