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Thursday, September 5, 2024

MLB Ejection 167 - Brian O'Nora (1; Joe Espada)

HP Umpire Brian O'Nora ejected Astros manager Joe Espada (Replay Review decision that upheld a foul ball call to Alex Bregman; QOCN/Y) in the top of the 4th inning of the #Reds-#Astros game. With one out and none on, Astros batter Bregman attempted to check his swing on a 1-1 changeup from Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder, ruled a foul ball by HP Umpire O'Nora (as opposed to a hit-by-pitch). Upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Astros manager Espada, O'Nora's call stood as a foul ball. Replays indicate the pitched ball did not touch the batter's bat, but this is not a reviewable aspect of the challenge for hit-by-pitch, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Reds ultimately won the contest, 1-0.

This is Brian O'Nora (7)'s 1st ejection of 2024.
*Review's "stands" decision on the HBP was technically correct, but the foul ball call was incorrect. Because foul ball (on the infield) and foul tip are not reviewable, and since the ball passed the bat distinctly before the ball/body issue came into play, the challenge was a fruitless endeavor since O'Nora's on-field foul ball call could not possibly have been overturned.

This is the 167th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 84th manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 84 Managers, 27 Coaches, 56 Players.
This is Houston's 9th ejection of 2024, 1st in the AL West (HOU 9; OAK 8; SEA 7; LAA, TEX 6).
This is Joe Espada's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since June 28 (Jim Wolf; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Brian O'Nora's 1st ejection since May 21, 2023 (Aaron Boone; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs Cincinnati Reds, 9/5/24 | Video as follows:

Teachable - A West Coast Triple Play

This Tmac Teachable Moment comes to us from the West Coast League, featuring the Bellingham Bells and Kamloops NorthPaws on a wacky bases-loaded triple play that involved some quick thinking from a three-person umpire crew looking to cover all potential aspects of this play.

Tmac reviews responsibilities for all three umpires as the defensive team catches a fly ball, throws to second to retire baserunner R1 in a rundown, and then throws home for the third out on R3 attempting to score during all the commotion.

Video as follows:

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

MLB Ejections 165-6 - Lance Barrett (1-2; STL x2)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso and manager Oliver Marmol (strike one call to Pedro Pagés; QOCY) in the top of the 4th inning of the #Cardinals-#Brewers game. With two out and one on, Cardinals batter Pagés took a 0-0 sinker from Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and at the midpoint (px 0.79, pz 3.14 [sz_top 3.18 / RAD 3.30]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejections, the Cardinals were leading, 3-2. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 7-4, in 12 innings.

These are Lance Barrett (16)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2024.
This pitch was located 2.88 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 165th and 166th ejection reports of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 27th coach ejection of 2024.
This is the 83rd manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 83 Managers, 27 Coaches, 56 Players.
This is St Louis' 7/8th ejection of 2024, T-1st in the NL Central (MIL, STL 8; PIT 7; CHC 6; CIN 3).
This is Daniel Descalso's 2nd ejection of 2024, 1st since May 12 (Alan Porter; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).
This is Oliver Marmol's 5th ejection of 2024, 1st since Aug 12 (Stu Scheurwater; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Lance Barrett's 1st ejection since September 20, 2023 (Aaron Boone; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

MLB Ejections 163-4 - Hunter Wendelstedt (5-6; CWS x2)

HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore and LF Andrew Benintendi (strike two and three calls; QOCN) in the top of the 6th inning of the #WhiteSox-#Orioles game. With one out and none on, White Sox batter Andrew Benintendi took a 1-1 sweeper and 1-2 sinker from Orioles pitcher Cade Povich for called second and third strikes. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and above the midpoint (px 0.21, pz 3.57 [sz_top 3.04 / RAD 3.16 / MOE 3.24]) and the 1-2 pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and waist-high (px -1.02, pz 2.51), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Orioles were leading, 9-0. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 9-0.

These are Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s 5th and 6th ejections of 2024.
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
The 1-1 pitch was located 3.96 vertical and the 1-2 pitch was 1.27 horizontal inches from QOCY.

These are the 163rd and 164th ejection reports of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 82nd manager ejection of 2024.
This is the 56th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 82 Managers, 26 Coaches, 56 Players.
This is Chicago's 9/10th ejection of 2024, 1st in the AL Central (CWS 10; CLE 3; KC, MIN 2; DET 1).
This is Grady Sizemore's first career MLB ejection.
This is Andrew Benintendi's 1st ejection since May 8, 2023 (Manny Gonzalez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Hunter Wendelstedt's 5/6th ejection of 2024, 1st since Aug 7 (Dave Roberts; QOC = Y [Obstruction]).

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Calls of the Month - August 2024

August 2024's Top 5 Calls of the Month feature a few bizarre bunt plays and tag attempts, questions concerning boundaries and home runs, and a guest appearance by...Kramer?

5) Jeremy Riggs closes in on a tag play.

4) Bill Miller makes a rare call....

3) Shane Livensparger's no-catch decision

2) Larry Vanover, the oldest umpire ever to work an MLB game, calls a HR

1) Charlie Ramos (not pictured) with the HR call and James Hoye as Kramer

Video as follows:

Friday, August 30, 2024

MLB Ejection 162 - Brian Walsh (4; Derek Shelton)

HP Umpire Brian Walsh ejected Pirates manager Derek Shelton (strike three call to Billy McKinney; QOCY) in the top of the 4th inning of the #Pirates-#Guardians game. With two out and one on, Pirates batter McKinney took a 3-2 fastball from Guardians pitcher Ben Lively for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.19, pz 1.35 [sz_bot 1.45 / RAD 1.33]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Guardians were leading, 2-0. The Guardians ultimately won the contest, 10-8.

This is Brian Walsh (120)'s 4th ejection of 2024.*
This pitch was located 1.20 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 162nd ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 81st manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 81 Managers, 26 Coaches, 55 Players.
This is Pittsburgh's 7th ejection of 2024, 2nd in the NL Central (MIL 8; PIT 7; CHC, STL 6; CIN 3).
This is Derek Shelton's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since July 6 (John Tumpane; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Brian Walsh's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since August 21 (Pat Murphy; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Thursday, August 29, 2024

MLB Ejection 161 - Alex Tosi (4; Alex Bregman)

HP Umpire Alex Tosi ejected Astros 3B Alex Bregman (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Royals-#Astros game. With one out and none on, Astros batter Bregman took a 0-2 sinker from Royals pitcher Brady Singer for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and belt high (px 0.83, pz 2.98), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 6-3.

This is Alex Tosi (66)'s 4th ejection of 2024.
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 1.00 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 161st ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 55th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 80 Managers, 26 Coaches, 55 Players.
This is Houston's 8th ejection of 2024, T-1st in the AL West (HOU, OAK 8; SEA 7; LAA, TEX 6).
This is Alex Bregman's first career MLB ejection.
This is Alex Tosi's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since May 23 (Joey Bart; QOC = U [Check Swing]).

Mets Lose Base Touch Challenge on Retouch Requirement Rule

Although Diamondbacks runner Jake McCarthy stumbled back onto the first base side after sliding into second on his way to third, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza lost his base touch challenge as umpires determined McCarthy did not violate a rule by not retouching second base while advancing to third base, leaving at least one broadcaster stumped. What happened?

McCarthy slid feet-first into second base before popping up to advance to third on New York catcher Francisco Alvarez's throwing error. In doing so, however, McCarthy stepped toward the right field/first base side of second, leading New York to appeal a missed base touch at second, with the thought process being that because McCarthy stepped back onto the first base side of the bag, he was required to retouch second before advancing to third (last time by principle).

Official Baseball Rule 5.06(b)(1) states, "In advancing, a runner shall touch first, second, third and home base in order. If forced to return, they shall retouch all bases in reverse order, unless the ball is dead under any provision of Rule 5.06(c). In such cases, the runner may go directly to their original base."

2B Umpire Malachi Moore, however, signaled McCarthy safe and, after Replay Review as a result of Mendoza's challenge, crew chief Bill Miller announced the call had been confirmed, much to the surprise of SNY. Why did Replay confirm this call despite McCarthy clearly stepping to the first base side of the base?

Although McCarthy clearly stepped onto the "prior" side of second base, he did so not as part of an attempt to return (see forced to return, above), but incidentally as part of a recovery from an off-balance slide as he attempted to advance to third. Thus, because the runner was not intending to return, there was no retouch requirement; accordingly, the call was confirmed because the runner did touch second base at some point during the sequence.

Video as follows:

Monday, August 26, 2024

MLB Ejection 160 - John Tumpane (4; Carl Willis)

HP Umpire John Tumpane ejected Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis (foul ball call to Garrett Hampson; QOCY) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Royals-#Guardians game. With one out and none on, Royals batter Hampson swung at a 1-2 changeup from Guardians pitcher Pedro Avila, ruled a foul ball by HP Umpire Tumpane. Replays indicate Hampson's bat made contact with the baseball before it touched the ground, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Royals were leading, 5-4. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 9-4.

This is John Tumpane (74)'s 4th ejection of 2024.

This is the 160th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 26th coach ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 80 Managers, 26 Coaches, 54 Players.
This is Cleveland's 3rd ejection of 2024, 2nd in the AL Central (CWS 8; CLE 3; KC, MIN 2; DET 1).
This is Carl Willis' 1st ejection since Sept 3, 2017 (Sam Holbrook; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is John Tumpane's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since July 6 (Derek Shelton; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

MLB Ejection 159 - Paul Clemons (3; Wilyer Abreu)

HP Umpire Paul Clemons ejected Red Sox RF (strike one call to Wilyer Abreu; QOCY) in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the #BlueJays-#RedSox game. With one out and one on, Red Sox batter Abreu took a 3-0 sinker from Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos for a called first strike before subsequently striking out swinging. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and above the hollow of the knee (px -0.84, pz 1.95 [sz_bot 1.62]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 7-3.

This is Paul Clemons (104)'s 3rd ejection of 2024.
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 0.89 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 159th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.
This is the 54th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 80 Managers, 25 Coaches, 54 Players.
This is Boston's 4th ejection of 2024, 5th in the AL East (NYY 10; TOR 9; BAL 6; TB 5; BOS 4).
This is Wilyer Abreu's first career MLB ejection.
This is Paul Clemons' 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 13 (Matt Quatraro; QOC = Y [Obstruction nc]).