MLB Ejection 076 - Nic Lentz (2; Seth Brown)

HP Umpire Nic Lentz ejected Athletics 1B Seth Brown (strike three call; QOCN) after the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Mariners-#Athletics game. With two out and none on, Brown took a 2-2 slider from Mariners pitcher Paul Sewald for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px -0.83, pz 1.46 [sz_bot 1.72 / RAD 1.60 / MOE 1.51]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Mariners had won the contest, 2-1.

This is Nic Lentz (59)'s 2nd ejection of 2022.

Nic Lentz now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (4 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 2).

Crew Chief Laz Diaz now has 2 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 2).

*This pitch was located 0.60 vertical inches from being deemed correct.

^This would be considered a post-participation ejection under NCAA rules, meaning the ejection would be served in the team's next contest. For OBR, however, this is a standard on-field ejection.

This is the 76th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 23rd player ejection of 2022. Prior to ejection, Brown was 1-4 (2 SO) in the contest.

This is Oakland's 4th ejection of 2022, 2nd in the AL West (HOU 5; OAK 4; LAA, SEA 3; TEX 0).

This is Seth Brown's first career MLB ejection.

This is Nic Lentz's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since April 30 (Charlie Montoyo; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics, 6/23/22 | Video as follows:

Teachable - Angel's Angle on Back-Pick Tag at First Base

When Replay Review affirmed 1B Umpire Angel Hernandez's out call on Royals catcher Salvador Perez's pickoff attempt throwing behind Cardinals baserunner R1 José Rondón, it brought to the forefront the importance of angles in the furtherance of making accurate calls on the bases.

In this Tmac's Teachable Moment, we follow Hernandez throughout the pitch-to-pickoff sequence, noting the umpire's hustle to ensure he is in the proper position to attain the keyhole angle most optimal for making this call.

The pre-pitch planning with a runner on first base begins with positioning to rule on a potential pickoff play originating with the pitcher. Coincidentally, this position also lends itself to calling balks or other pitch-based infractions.

As the pitch is thrown—noting that the first base umpire has no check swing responsibilities for a left-handed batter—we see Hernandez hustle to his right, toward the foul line, primarily for a potential fair/foul decision on a batted ball. As positioning to rule on a potential pickoff takes the umpire into a beneficial angle for a potential balk, so too does angling oneself to officiate fair/foul for a potential back-pick from the catcher.

When that throw does occur, Hernandez is already in position at first base to make a call on a fast play.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 075 - Lance Barrett (3; Guillermo Martinez)

1B Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez (balls/strikes calls by Doug Eddings the previous game) during the plate meeting prior to the top of the 1st inning of the #BlueJays-#WhiteSox game. During the plate meeting, Blue Jays coach Martinez delivered Toronto's lineup cards, which according to broadcaster Dan Shulman is a fairly rare occurrence; Toronto usually sends a different coach. Shortly after exchanging lineup cards and shaking the umpires' and opposing coach's hands, Martinez was ejected for arguing Eddings' calls from the game one night before, during which Eddings ejected Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker for arguing ball calls, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the game hadn't yet started. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 9-5.

This is Lance Barrett (94)'s 3rd ejection of 2022.

Lance Barrett now has 8 points in the UEFL Standings (6 Previous + 2 MLB + 0 Irrecusable Call = 8).

Crew Chief Doug Eddings now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 Irrecusable Call = 3).

Related Ejection: MLB Ejection 073 - Doug Eddings (2; Pete Walker) (6/21/22).

This is the 75th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is Toronto's 8th ejection of 2022, 1st in the AL East (TOR 8; NYY 4; BOS, TB 3; BAL 2).

This is Guillermo Martinez's first career MLB ejection.

This is Lance Barrett's 3rd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 31 (Julio Rodriguez; QOC = U [USC-NEC]).

Wrap: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Chicago White Sox, 6/22/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 074 - Nestor Ceja (1; Phil Nevin)

HP Umpire Nestor Ceja ejected Angels manager Phil Nevin (balk call by 3B Umpire Bill Welke; QOCN) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Royals-#Angels game. With one out and one on (R1) in the top of the 6th, 3B Umpire Welke called Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz for a no-stop balk during a 1-2 pitch to Royals batter Carlos Santana, advancing Royals baserunner R1 MJ Melendez to second base. Replays indicate the pitcher appeared to stop movement throughout his body prior to delivering to the batter, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection (in the 7th), the Royals were leading, 7-5. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 12-11, in 11 innings.

This is Nestor Ceja (103)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Nestor Ceja now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 AAA - 2 Incorrect Call-Crewmate = 2).

Crew Chief Bill Welke now has 1 point in Crew Division (1 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 1).

*Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(13): "It is a balk when—The pitcher delivers the pitch from Set Position without coming to a stop."

This is the 74th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 38th manager ejection of 2022.

This is Los Angeles' 3rd ejection of 2022, T-2nd in the AL West (HOU 5; LAA, OAK, SEA 3; TEX 0).

This is Phil Nevin's 1st ejection since June 6, 2021 (Gabe Morales; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Nestor Ceja's 1st ejection since August 20, 2021 (Walker Buehler; QOC = N [Hit/Foul Ball]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels of Carmen San Diego, 6/21/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 073 - Doug Eddings (2; Pete Walker)

HP Umpire Doug Eddings ejected Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker (ball one and two calls; QOCY) in the bottom of the 10th inning of the #BlueJays-#WhiteSox game. With none out and two on (R1, R2), White Sox batter Jake Burger took 0-2 and 1-0 sinkers from Blue Jays pitcher Tim Mayza for called first and second balls. Replays indicate the 0-2 pitch was located off the inner edge of the plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.97, pz 1.57 [sz_bot 1.54 / RAD 1.42]), the 1-2 pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -1.23, pz 1.92), and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Blue Jays were leading, 5-4. The White Sox ultimately won the contest, 7-6, in 12 innings.

This is Doug Eddings (88)'s 2nd ejection of 2022.

Doug Eddings now has 8 points in the UEFL Standings (4 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).

Crew Chief Doug Eddings now has 2 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 2).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

The 0-2 pitch was located 2.67 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

The 1-2 pitch was located 6.00 vertical and 5.78 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 73rd ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is Toronto's 7th ejection of 2022, 1st in the AL East (TOR 7; NYY 4; BOS, TB 3; BAL 2).

This is Pete Walker's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 10 (Alfonso Marquez; QOC = U [Throwing At]).

This is Doug Eddings' 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 10 (Luis Torrens; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago White Sox, 6/21/22 | Video as follows:

Teachable - He Swiped Knight and Swipe Tags at 1B

When Replay Review affirmed 1B Umpire Brian Knight's out call on Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec's swipe tag of Rangers batter-runner Nick Solak, tmac knew a positioning Teachable Moment was in the works.

For a first base umpire officiating a play wherein the first baseman fields a wide throw by coming off the bag—on the x-axis, so to speak, as opposed to strictly on the vertical y-—a first base umpire's positioning should usually change as well. Generally, a base umpire can take a read step (or few) in order to position-adjust and get into a location that provides the optimal keyhole angle with which to see the fielder's gloved tag of the runner.

The reason we talk about x- vs y-axis here is that if a fielder simply jumps straight up in the air to catch a high throw, there's a pretty good chance that fielder will land straight back down on first base and we'll have a tag of the base to officiate, as opposed to a definitive tag of the batter-runner.

Thus, when 1B Umpire Knight reads that Boston fielder Dalbec has jumped away from first base to catch the ball, Knight adjusts his position, knowing that the likelihood of Dalbec attempting to tag Texas batter-runner Solak is high, and the likelihood of Dalbec attempting to touch first base is low, all based on the way the play developed.

Video as follows:

Teachable - Guccione Steals a Second During Strike Call

When Rays baserunner R1 Randy Arozarena tried stealing second base against Seattle, HP Umpire Chris Guccione made sure to emphasize his strike call on the initial pitch, holding the mechanic while still keeping his head oriented toward the home plate area to watch for potential batter interference or other activity.

In doing so, Guccione stays engaged with the play and, in a notably exaggerated way, keeps his head height constant to see that indeed Mariners catcher Luis Torres was not impeded or interfered with by Rays batter Ji-Man Choi, not that it much mattered as runner R1 Randy Arozarena was thrown out trying to steal, a call affirmed via Replay Review.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 072 - Cory Blaser (2; Alex Cintron)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron (strike three call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the #WhiteSox-#Astros game. With two out and two on (R2, R3), Astros batter JJ Matijevic took a 1-2 fastball from White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and above the midpoint (px 0.18, pz 3.60 [sz_top 3.37 / RAD 3.49 / MOE 3.58]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Astros were leading, 1-0. The Astors ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 2nd ejection of 2022.

Cory Blaser now has 0 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Previous + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 0).

Crew Chief Phil Cuzzi now has 1 point in Crew Division (1 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 1).

*This pitch was located 0.29 vertical inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 72nd ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is Houston's 5th ejection of 2022, 1st in the AL West (HOU 5; OAK, SEA 3; LAA 2; TEX 0).

This is Alex Cintron's 1st ejection since April 3, 2019 (Ron Kulpa; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Cory Blaser's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 1 (Rick Kranitz; QOC = N-c [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros, 6/20/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 071 - Jansen Visconti (1; AJ Hinch)

HP Umpire Jansen Visconti ejected Tigers manager AJ Hinch (strike two and check swing strike three calls) in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the #Rangers-#Tigers game. With one out and none on, Tigers batter Robbie Grossman took a 2-1 sinker from Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning for a called second strike and attempted to check his swing on a 2-2 slider, ruled a ball by HP Umpire Jansen Visconti and called a swinging third strike on appeal by 3B Umpire Jerry Meals. Replays indicate the 2-1 pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.17, pz 1.22 [sz_bot 1.41 / RAD 1.29 / MOE 1.20]) while the 2-2 pitch is under review by the UEFL Appeals Board, the call was *PENDING*. At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 3-1. The Tigers ultimately won the contest, 7-3.

This is Jansen Visconti (52)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Jansen Visconti now has ? points in the UEFL Standings.

Crew Chief Jerry Meals now has ? points in Crew Division.

*This pitch was located 0.24 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 71st ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 37th manager ejection of 2022.

This is Detroit's 3rd ejection of 2022, 1st in the AL Central (DET 3; KC, MIN 2; CLE, CWS 1).

This is AJ Hinch's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 9 (Nick Mahrley; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Jansen Visconti's 1st ejection since July 11, 2021 (Brad Miller; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers, 6/19/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 070 - Jim Reynolds (1; Andrew Bailey)

1B Umpire Jim Reynolds ejected Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey (check swing call) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Giants-#Pirates game. With two out and one on (R1), Pirates batter Diego Castillo attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 slider from Giants pitcher Alex Wood for a called second ball by HP Umpire John Libka, affirmed as no swing on appeal by 1B Umpire Reynolds. This play is under review by the UEFL Appeals Board, the call was *PENDING*. At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 4-3. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 7-5.

This is Jim Reynolds (77)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Jim Reynolds now has ? points in the UEFL Standings.

Crew Chief Jim Reynolds now has ? points in Crew Division.

This is the 70th MLB ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is San Francisco's 2nd ejection of 2022, 3rd in the NL West (ARI, SD 3; SF 2; LAD 1; COL 0).

This is Andrew Bailey's first career MLB ejection.

This is Jim Reynolds' 1st ejection since May 18, 2021 (Rocco Baldelli; QOC = U [Throwing At]).

Wrap: San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 6/18/22 | Video as follows: