MLB Ejection 074 - Lance Barrett (5; Tony Vitello)

3B Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Giants manager Tony Vitello (unreviewable safe/runner pushed off base call by 2B Umpire Mike Estabrook; QOCN) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Giants-#Royals game. With none out and none on, Royals batter Vinnie Pasquantino hit a 3-2 fastball from Giants pitcher Landen Roupp on a ground ball to right field, fielded by RF Jung Hoo Lee who threw to SS Willy Adames, who attempted to tag batter-runner Pasquantino as he slid into second base, ruled safe by 2B Umpire Estabrook. Replays indicate the runner appeared safe at second, but may have broken contact with the base due to momentum in oversliding it and that 2B Umpire Estabrook judged that SS Adames illegally pushed BR Pasquantino off the base, rendering the play unreviewable and making the runner safe, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Giants were leading, 3-0. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Lance Barrett (94)'s 5th ejection of 2026.

This is the 74th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 39th manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 39 Managers, 15 Coaches, 20 Players.

This is San Francisco's 5th ejection of 2026, 2nd in the NL West (SD 6; SF 5; ARI 1; COL, LAD 0).

This is Tony Vitello's 3rd ejection of 2026, 1st since July 11 (Lance Barksdale; QOC = Y [Balk]).

This is Lance Barrett's 5th ejection of 2026, 1st since July 7 (Bobby Dickerson; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

Wrap: San Francisco Giants vs Kansas City Royals, 7/22/26 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 073 - Adrian Johnson (2; James Rowson)

2B Umpire Adrian Johnson ejected Yankees hitting coach James Rowson (pitch clock violation call by HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott on batter José Caballero; QOCN) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the #Pirates-#Yankees game. With two out and one on, Yankees batter Caballero was called for a pitch clock violation prior to Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski's 0-1 pitch. Replays indicate Caballero entered the batter's box and delayed becoming alert to the pitcher by keeping his head facing down and not looking at the pitcher for several seconds after entering the batter's box, deemed a pitch clock violation by MLB, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 2-0. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Adrian Johnson (80)'s 2nd ejection of 2026.

This is a technically correct call for a confusing mid-season interpretation of the pitch clock rule: "Conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position in violation of these Regulations shall be considered circumvention in accordance with section A.4.d below.  In such cases, the umpires will issue a warning to the batter for his deceptive behavior.  If the batter continues to engage in such conduct during the game, the umpire shall asses a Pitch Clock Violation (i.e., automatic strike)."

Accordingly, assessing a Pitch Clock Violation instead of warning Caballero first is the basis for QOCN.

The box score erroneously credited the ejection to Wolcott; video evidence indicates it was Johnson's.

This is the 73rd ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 15th coach ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 38 Managers, 15 Coaches, 20 Players.

This is New York's 7th ejection of 2026, 1st in the AL East (NYY 7; BOS 6; TB, TOR 3; BAL 2).

This is James Rowson's 1st ejection since June 7, 2025 (Bruce Dreckman; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Adrian Johnson's 2nd ejection of 2026, 1st since April 18 (Kyle Snyder; QOC = N [Denied ABS]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Yankees, 7/22/26 | Video as follows:

MiLB Ejection on Non-Interference with 2 Outs in 9th

An interference no-call when a runner collided with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball with 2 outs in the 9th allowed Double-A's Senators to tie its game with the Eerie SeaWolves, resulting in ejection and extending the minor league game that was ultimately decided in the 10th inning.

3B Umpire Brandon Spevak ejected SeaWolves manager Tony Cappuccilli for arguing the non-interference call when Senators batter Johnathon Thomas singled on a ground ball past third base. Senators baserunner R2 Maxwell Romero Jr, running into third base, collided with SeaWolves third baseman EJ Exposito, allowing the ball to trickle by while Romero scored and Thomas advanced to second base. At the time of the ejection, the Senators had just tied the game at 2-2. The SeaWolves ultimately won the contest, 3-2, in 10 innings.

The relevant rule is Official Baseball Rule 6.01(a)(10): "Any runner is out when—they fail to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interfere with a thrown ball."

Is there an exception, however, to this rule when a runner is either in contact with or running toward a base?

The answer is no. On a batted ball, the fielder has the right to field it.

At any other time, the runner has the right to run the bases.

Bear in mind, only one fielder is deemed 'protected' during a batted ball, which is an umpire's determination as to which fielder is entitled to field the ball. A non-protected fielder may be guilty of obstruction if they impede the runner.

There is one exception during which the base is a safe space when it comes to questions of batted ball interference: "If a runner is touching their base when touched by an Infield Fly, they are not out, although the batter is out" (OBR 5.07(b)(7)).

Other than that, however, the base is not a safe space and this is interference. Video as follows: