Ejection Inspection, Week Three, Part Two: Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals Brawl

This is Ejection Inspection, Week Three, Part Two.  Ejections 9-16 are covered here, while ejections 1-8 were covered in Part One.

There were a whopping 16 ejections in Week Three – more than Week One and Week Two combined.  Four were players, one was a player on the injured list, three were coaches, and eight were managers.

Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals Manager

When

Tuesday, April 16, vs. San Francisco Giants, between the fifth and sixth innings

Umpire

Tony Randazzo (HP)

Description

Randazzo called Washington 3B Anthony Rendon out on strikes on a pitch on the higher end of the zone. He had earlier called Washington 2B Brian Dozier out twice on one that was on the lower end.

Understand the frustration?

Yes. If an umpire expands the zone low, he’s expected to narrow it on the higher end, and vice versa. Expanding it both directions can quickly get under a manager’s skin.

Was the ejection justified?

Yes. Randazzo told him that was enough, but Martinez kept yelling.

Entertainment Rating

This was a fun one. Martinez got right in Randazzo’s face and jawed at him at length. Four Weavers.

Brad Keller, Kansas City Royals Starting Pitcher
Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox Shortstop
Rick Renteria, Chicago White Sox Manager
Dale Sveum, Kansas City Royals Bench Coach

When

Wednesday, April 17, Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox, bottom of the sixth

Umpire

Joe West (2B, Crew Chief)

Description

In the fourth inning, Anderson hit a moonshot. After hitting the ball, he turned and fired his bat toward the dugout. He then screamed something at his dugout before running the bases.

On Anderson’s next at-bat, the first pitch plunked him in the backside. Anderson yelled at Keller while slowly moving toward first. Royals C Martin Maldonado got in front of Anderson to keep him from going after Keller. The benches emptied. After about a minute or two, the situation calmed, and the teams were about to go to their dugouts. Renteria –while West had a hold of his arm – then yelled to the Royals to get back in their dugout, Sveum responded, the teams came back together, and a large shoving match ensued.

Understand the frustration?

For Keller, yes, but this was not the proper way to handle it. His number one job was to win the ballgame. Putting a runner on during a tie game is not a recipe for success in that department. It was made worse by the fact that Anderson is a base-stealing threat.

For Anderson, no, but he lost sight of the game situation. Yes, he was hit by a pitch, but the Royals were foolish to put a base stealer on in a tie game. They gave him a huge gift by drilling him. He should have kept his mouth shut, taken his base, and tried to steal second.

For Renteria to yell that at the Royals while his guys were still on the field was ridiculous. Every team in the league would have taken exception to that.

Was the ejection justified?

For Keller, yes, if for nothing more than being stupid. A tie game is not the time to take revenge by plunking a speed demon.

For Anderson, yes, he caused the problem by jawing at the pitcher instead of keeping his mouth shut while trotting to first.

Renteria and Sveum poured gasoline on a fire that was about to burn out, so they both had to go.

Entertainment Rating

Zero Weavers for Keller and Anderson. Their actions were eye-rolling, not entertaining.

Five Weavers each for Renteria and Sveum. They were incensed and looked like they wanted to rip each other’s heads off. It’s not every day that opposing coaches do that.

David Bell, Cincinnati Reds Manager

When

Wednesday, April 17, at Los Angeles Dodgers, top of fifth inning

Umpire

Nick Mahrley (HP)

Description

After a called strike that appeared to be about six inches below the knee, the Reds dugout started yelling at Mahrley. Before the next pitch, Mahrley told the dugout to stop. As the pitcher was getting ready, Mahrley looked at the dugout again and gave Bell the heave-ho. Bell came out of the dugout and yelled his entire grievance list at Mahrley, pointing emphatically the entire time. He was restrained by one of his coaches and first base umpire Dana DeMuth (the crew chief). Twice, Bell started to leave the field but returned to holler at him more.

Understand the frustration?

The Reds are in a stretch where they haven’t been playing well. There were a few pitches that Reds pitcher Sonny Gray threw that were either in or near the zone but ruled balls, so when this pitch was ruled a strike, the Reds were understandably irritated.

Was the ejection justified?

He told them to stop twice, yet they kept yelling. It definitely was.

Entertainment Rating

Bell is making a name for himself when he gets agitated. It’s his second consecutive week with an ejection. Both times, he leaned forward slightly and let the umpire have it. This performance gets Three Weavers because his face didn’t turn red, he didn’t wave his arms, and he didn’t have to be carried off the field.

Tim Cossins, Baltimore Orioles Field Coordinator

When

Wednesday, April 17, at Tampa Bay Rays, bottom of third inning

Umpire

CB Bucknor (HP)

Description

After a home run by Rays 1B Ji-Man Choi, the first pitch to 3B Yandy Diaz was ruled a ball. Cossins yelled something from the dugout in dispute. Bucknor took off his mask and asked, “What?” Cossins repeated it, and Bucknor threw him out. Manager Brandon Hyde, thinking he was the ejected party, came out of the dugout to plead his case. After a discussion, Hyde returned to the dugout while Cossins went to the clubhouse.

Understand the frustration?

Yes. Pitches in the previous half-inning that looked to be in the same location as the pitch to Diaz were called strikes. Also, the Orioles had just fallen behind, 4-0.

Was the ejection justified?

Even without knowing what was said, yes. Bucknor had told the Orioles in the break between the top and bottom of the third that they had reached the end of their leash. Cossins also admitted that he was the one who yelled the comment and did not put up a fuss after he was ejected.

Entertainment Rating

Two Weavers for the sheer fact that he was trying to get Bucknor’s attention to tell him that he was the offending party. Bucknor was not listening at all, focusing instead on jawing at Hyde. Cossins told 3B umpire Paul Nauert what happened, so Nauert stepped between Bucknor and Hyde to get the situation under control. The whole incident was bizarre to watch. It was made hilarious, though, when realizing that the stadium PA was playing Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” during the dispute.

Justin Bour, Los Angeles Angels 1B

When

Wednesday, April 17, at Texas Rangers, top of ninth inning

Umpire

Jeremie Rehak (HP)

Description

Down 5-3 in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded, nobody out, and a 1-2 count, Bour took a pitch that was two ball widths off the outside edge of the plate. Rehak rang him up. Bour exploded into a profanity-laden tirade at Rehak as he walked in front of him toward the dugout. He continued to yell and swear as he proceeded toward the dugout. Rehak tossed him two steps into his path. Bour then snapped around, barked in his face, and headed to the clubhouse after about two sentences.

Understand the frustration?

Absolutely. Bour had nobody out, the tying run on second, and the winning run on first. He was then rung up on a pitch that he thought was a ball.

Was the ejection justified?

Yes. He was arguing balls and strikes and swearing a blue streak.

Entertainment Rating

Two Weavers. Bour yelled but not for long.

Look for Week Four on Thursday, April 25.

Evan Thompson played baseball as a youth and teenager. He also umpired between 1995 and 2004 and has coached at the high school level.

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