MLB Ejection 014 - Nestor Ceja (1; Matt Quatraro)

2B Umpire Nestor Ceja ejected Royals manager Matt Quatraro (balk no-call; QOCN) in the top of the 1st inning of the #Royals-#Yankees game. With two out and one on, Yankees pitcher Will Warren faced Royals batter Jac Caglianone while operating out of Set Position, with no balk called. Replays indicate that prior to the 1-0 pitch, Warren engaged the rubber, moved from stretch to set by bringing his hands together, and then removed his pitching hand from his glove to access his PitchCom system, before returning his hand to his glove and delivering the ball to the batter; this is a balk, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 13-4.

This is Nestor Ceja (33)'s 1st ejection of 2026.

*Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(10): "If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when the pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position, removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base."

Related Post: PitchCom Fails, Causes Balk in Mets-Cubs Game (5/25/23).

This is the 14th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 10th manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 10 Managers, 1 Coaches, 3 Players.

This is Kansas City's 1st ejection of 2026, 1st in the AL Central (KC, MIN 1; CWS, CLE, DET 0).

This is Matt Quatraro's 1st ejection since August 15, 2025 (Tom Hanahan; QOC = N [Obstruction]).

This is Nestor Ceja's 1st ejection since September 19, 2025 (John Schneider; QOC = U [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees, 4/18/26 | Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Quatraro ejected arguing balk no-call that had nothing to do with a pickoff attempt (This was not the pickoff attempt, which was legal: the pitcher needn't come to a complete stop in Set Position prior to attempting a pickoff—the stop is only required prior to delivering to the batter.)