D-Backs Add Insult to Injury on Challenge of Arenado Catch

Arizona added insult to injury for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado on Ketel Marte's fly ball toward the fence down the left field line, as Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo successfully challenged that fielder Arenado fell and carried the ball out of play after his catch, resulting in a base award for all runners.

With one out and two on in the top of the 9th inning, Diamondbacks batter Marte hit a fly ball toward the left field stands in foul territory, whereupon Cardinals third baseman Arenado ran to catch the foul pop-fly before crashing into the protective netting in front of the spectator area, injuring his back while also attempting to throw the ball back toward the infield.

Upon Replay Review as a result of a challenge by Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, Replay HQ overturned 3B Umpire Cory Blaser's initial ruling that fielder Arenado (and the ball itself) stayed in play the entire sequence.

Instead, the Replay Official determined Arenado caught the ball on the playing field, but then fell into the stands and out of play, pursuant to Official Baseball Rule 5.06(b)(3), which states, "Each runner, other than the batter, may without liability to be put out, advance one base when—A fielder, after catching a fly ball, steps or falls into any out-of-play area" while 5.06(b)(3)(C) Comment states, "If a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should step or fall into any out-of-play area, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from their last legally touched base at the time the fielder entered such out-of-play area."

Accordingly, the two Arizona baserunners were awarded one base for the catch-and-carry sequence: Alek Thomas to 3rd and Geraldo Perdomo to 2nd (but then Lourdes Gurriel Jr struck out swinging on the next pitch to end the game, so it didn't matter).

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 158 - James Jean (2; Patrick Wisdom)

HP Umpire James Jean ejected Cubs 3B Patrick Wisdom (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 4th inning of the #Cubs-#Marlins game. With two out and none on, Cubs batter Wisdom took a 1-2 slurve from Marlins pitcher Adam Oller for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.66, pz 2.50), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Marlins were leading, 3-1. The Marlins ultimately won the contest, 7-2.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, Cubs pitcher Julian Merryweather intentionally walked Marlins batter Jesús Sánchez, who was pinch run for by Cristian Pache. Miami then appealed that batter-runner Sánchez failed to touch first base during his intentional walk prior to being substituted for by Pache, ruled out by 1B Umpire Cory Blaser, pursuant to Official Baseball Rule 5.09(c)(2), which puts a runner out on appeal when "while advancing or returning to a base, they fail to touch each base in order before they, or a missed base, are tagged," while OBR 5.05(b)(1) Comment states, "A batter who is entitled to first base because of a base on balls, including an award of first base to a batter by an umpire following a signal from a manager, must go to first base and touch the base before other base runners are forced to advance. This applies when bases are full and applies when a substitute runner is put into the game...If they fail to touch the base to which they are entitled and attempt to advance beyond that base they may be put out by tagging them or the base they missed."

This is James Jean (61)'s 2nd ejection of 2024.

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

This pitch was located 3.05 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 158th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 53rd player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 80 Managers, 25 Coaches, 53 Players.

This is Chicago's 6th ejection of 2024, T-2nd in the NL Central (MIL 8; CHC, PIT, STL 6; CIN 3).

This is Patrick Wisdom's 1st ejection since Sept 23, 2022 (Ryan Wills; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is James Jean's 2nd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 30 (Jose Altuve; QOC = N [Fair/Foul]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs Chicago Cubs, 8/25/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 149 - Cory Blaser (3; Michael Brdar)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Tigers hitting coach Michael Brdar (strike three call to Jace Jung; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Yankees-#Tigers game. With none out and none on, Tigers batter Jung took a 1-2 sweeper from Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and at the midpoint (px -0.47, pz 3.41 [sz_top 3.31 / RAD 3.43]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Yankees were leading, 3-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 3-0.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 3rd ejection of 2024.

*This pitch was located 1.20 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 149th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 23rd coach ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 75 Managers, 23 Coaches, 51 Players.

This is Detroit's 1st ejection of 2024, 5th in the AL Central (CWS 8; CLE, KC, MIN 2; DET 1).

This is Michael Brdar's first career MLB ejection.

This is Cory Blaser's 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since April 30 (Ha-Seon Kim; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers, 8/16/24 | Video as follows:

Calls of the Month - May 2024

Our Top 5 Calls of the Month for May 2024 include several close calls at both home plate and on the bases, with umpires who stick with the play to get the call right.

5) Cory Blaser gets his nose in there for a call at the plate.

4) Doug Eddings gets knocked down, but gets back up to later in the game nail an awkward out call.

3) Chris Conroy takes a "Reverse Force" (tag-up appeal play) at 1st.

2) Chad Fairchild no call at the plate great calmness.... and call.

1) Adam Hamari "The Hammer" with a confirmed catcher's interference call on a check swing.

Video as follows:

Was Cody Bellinger Out of the Base Path or Did Arenado Obstruct?

When Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray's pickoff throw behind Cubs baserunner Cody Bellinger caught the Chicago runner in a rundown, Bellinger lunged to his right to avoid St Louis 3B Nolan Arenado's tag. 3B Umpire Cory Blaser called Bellinger out for running more than three feet away from his base path to avoid the tag, but was he? Or did Arenado obstruct Belli instead?

Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(1) states that a runner is out when "they run more than three feet away from their base path to avoid being tagged unless their action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base they are attempting to reach safely."

Remember, the base path is established only when the tag attempt begins, meaning that while the ball is still in flight, no such line can be drawn.

Meanwhile, we have the issue of potential obstruction. OBR's Definition of Terms states, "OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner" while OBR 6.01(h)(1) pertaining to Type 1 Obstruction specifies that when obstruction occurs while a play is being made on the obstructed runner, the runner is awarded the next base ("The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base they had last legally touched before the obstruction").

In a similar token to when to begin a base path, we need to address when to begin considering a fielder to be "in the act of fielding," while noting the pre-season point of emphasis declaring that a fielder who blocks the runner's path should be called for obstruction if they do not legitimately need to occupy that space to field the baseball.

By virtue of fielder Arenado running at Bellinger—and into his path to third base—prior to teammate Masyn Winn even releasing the baseball, we know Arenado cannot be considered in the act of fielding when he initially impedes Bellinger and this play, thus, becomes a candidate for Obstruction Type 1 (Type A), effectively cancelling the later base path issue since play is dead at the moment of Obstruction 1 (had it been OBS 2, then "nullify the act" would get involved after the play's natural conclusion).

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 031 - Cory Blaser (2; David Bell)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Reds manager David Bell (three ball calls to Ha-Seon Kim; QOCN) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Reds-#Padres game. With one out and two on, Padres batter Ha-Seong Kim took three cutters from Reds pitcher Emilio Pagán for called balls one, two, and three, before striking out. Replays indicate that ball one was located over the heart of home plate and near the hollow of the knee (px 0.03, pz 1.60 [sz_bot 1.66 / RAD 1.54 / MOE 1.62]), ball two was located over the outer half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.31, pz 1.64 [sz_bot 1.63 / RAD 1.51 / MOE 1.59]), and ball three was located over the inner half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.16, pz 1.66 [sz_bot 1.66 / RAD 1.54 / MOE 1.62]), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Padres were leading, 6-4. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 6-4.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 2nd ejection of 2024.

This is the 31st ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 15th manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 15 Managers, 4 Coaches, 12 Players.

This is Cincinnati's 1st ejection of 2024, T-2nd in the NL Central (PIT 3; CIN, MIL 1; CHC, STL 0).

This is David Bell's 1st ejection since September 9, 2023 (Brennan Miller; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Cory Blaser's 2nd ejection of 2024, 1st since April 19 (Dave Martinez; QOC = N-c [Obstruction]).

Wrap: Cincinnati Reds vs San Diego Padres, 4/30/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 017 - Cory Blaser (1; Dave Martinez)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Nationals manager Dave Martinez (obstruction no-call [out call] by 2B Umpire Nate Tomlinson; QOCN) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Astros-Nationals game. With two out and one on, Nationals baserunner Ildemaro Vargas attempted to steal second base on a 2-2 fastball from Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly to Nationals batter CJ Abrams, Astros catcher Yainer Diaz to shortstop Jeremy Peña, ruled out by 2B Umpire Tomlinson and affirmed following Replay Review as a result of a challenge by Nationals manager Martinez. Replays indicate the runner appeared to be tagged prior to touching second base, but that he was obstructed by virtue of fielder Peña illegally placing his leg in the path of the runner without the ball and without needing to occupy that space to field the ball, the call was incorrect. Obstruction is not a reviewable play. At the time of the ejection, the Astros were leading, 5-2. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 1st ejection of 2024.

This is the 17th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 7th manager ejection of 2024.Ejection Tally: 7 Managers, 3 Coaches, 7 Players.

This is Nationals' 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL East (WAS 2; MIA, NYM 1; ATL, PHI 0).

This is Dave Martinez's 1st ejection since June 28, 2023 (Derek Thomas; QOC = Y [Base Path]).

This is Cory Blaser's 1st ejection since August 24, 2023 (David Popkins; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals, 4/19/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 210 - Cory Blaser (2; David Popkins)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Twins hitting coach David Popkins (strike three call to Jorge Polanco; QOCY) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Rangers-#Twins game. With two out and none on, Polanco took a 1-2 slider from Rangers pitcher Jose Leclerc for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and above the hollow of the knee (px -0.50, pz 1.76 [sz_bot 1.64 / RAD 1.52]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Rangers were leading, 5-4. The Twins ultimately won the contest 7-5.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 2nd ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 4.92 horizontal and 3.84 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 210th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This the 30th coach ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 95 Managers, 85 Players, 30 Coaches.

This is Minnesota's 10th ejection of 2023, 2nd in the AL Central (CWS 12; MIN 10; CLE, KC 6; DET 3).

This is David Popkins' 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since July 14 (Nic Lentz; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Cory Blaser's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since July 22 (Oliver Marmol; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Texas Rangers vs Minnesota Twins, 8/24/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 155 - Cory Blaser (1; Oliver Marmol)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (strike one call to Nolan Arenado; QOC) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Cardinals-#Cubs game. With two out and the bases loaded, Arenado took a 0-0 slider from Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.24, pz 1.48 [sz_bot 1.65 / RAD 1.53 / MOE 1.45]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 5-5. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 8-6.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 0.36 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

Related Post: MLB Ejection 154 - Ron Kulpa (3; Alec Burleson) (7/21/23).

This is the 155th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 72nd manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 72 Managers, 64 Players, 19 Coaches.

This is St Louis' 8th ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL Central (STL 8; MIL 7; CHC, CIN 6; PIT 5).

This is Oliver Marmol's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since May 23 (Will Little; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Cory Blaser's 1st ejection since August 16, 2022 (Torey Lovullo; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs, 7/22/23 | Video as follows:

Chicago Walks Off After Wild Pitch Hits Cory Blaser in Head

Chicago defeated Detroit on an extra-inning walk off wild pitch after Tigers pitcher Jose Cisnero’s fastball to Tim Anderson hit HP Umpire Cory Blaser directly and caromed away, allowing White Sox baserunner Yoan Moncada to score from third base. Let’s talk bonus runner, interference, and humanity.

As for a game-ending injury a la a pitch to the mask, there is fortuitously no debate of stay in vs come out: with the game over, there is no doubt the umpire will get immediate medical attention.

Video as follows:

Consecutive Catcher's Interference Calls Doom Angels

Consecutive catcher's interference awards against Angels catcher Matt Thais helped Boston rally to beat LA at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox benefiting from a baseball rule not usually seen at the MLB level but enforced two times in the 8th inning by HP Umpire Cory Blaser.

Blaser actually had three different catcher's interference calls in the same game: one against Red Sox catcher Connor Wong during Angels batter Shohei Ohtani's 2nd inning at-bat and two catcher's interferences against Angels catcher Thais during Boston batter Raimel Tapia and Reese McGuire's 8th inning at-bats to produce two consecutive Boston baserunners awarded their bases due to the same rules infraction.

Catcher's interference (CI in OBR, NCAA; known as obstruction in NFHS) ordinarily occurs when a batter's bat makes contact with a catcher's mitt during a swing attempt and is defined as a defensive infraction which prevents a batter from hitting a pitched ball. The default penalty for catcher's interference is a dead ball and first base award for the batter, although in some cases the interference can be ignored after-the-fact.

For example, if the batter despite the catcher's interference hits a home run, the interference is ignored and the home run stands. If the batter hits a sacrifice fly, the offensive team manager can choose to accept the default catcher's interference penalty (an award of first base, runners return) or to decline the penalty and accept the result of the play (sacrifice fly, run scores).

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(3) formally declares this: "The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when the catcher or any fielder interferes with them. If a play follows the interference, the manager of the offense may advise the plate umpire that they elect to decline the interference penalty and accept the play. Such election shall be made immediately at the end of the play."

The catcher's box extends eight feet in back of the point of home plate, and the lines are considered part of the box: catchers can back up if they feel they are too close to the batter in an attempt to avoid interfering with the batter's swing.

Video as follows:

France & Maldonado Tangle on Double Play in Seattle

Mariners first baseman Ty France turned a blazingly quick double play, catching Astros batter Jose Altuve's infield fly ball before quickly tagging baserunner Martin Maldonado in the 5th inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series in Seattle. 1B Umpire Cory Blaser officiated the play several feet away while HP Umpire and Crew Chief Marvin Hudson explained the sequence to Houston manager Dusty Baker shortly thereafter.

The broadcasters mentioned that Baker may have sought to solicit an interference call, while also claiming that perhaps France had pushed Maldonado off the base ala the Kent Hrbek-Ron Gant force off play in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, but replays confirm that fielder France tagged Maldonado off the base, and that Maldonado never made it back to first base to tag up until after the tag was applied.

There is some confusion about the entanglement issue, so perhaps the Official Baseball Rules' definitions for interference and obstruction will help explain.

Interference is an act ordinarily committed by the offense against the defense. It is defined as an infraction by the team at bat which "interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders, or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play." There is a special case for catcher's interference, which must be committed against a batter during a pitched ball (in NFHS/high school, this is ordinarily called catcher's obstruction).

Obstruction is an act ordinarily committed by the defense against the offense and is defined as, "the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner."

However, replays clearly indicate fielder France was either in the act of fielding the ball (the fielder ordinarily has the right of way to field a batted ball) or in possession of the ball at all times during the fielder-runner interaction, so it can be said that no defensive infraction occurred during this fast double play sequence. If anything, one could argue that baserunner Maldonado interfered with France, had France dropped the ball as a result of Maldonado standing off the base and in the way of the catch of a batted ball.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 132-133 - Cory Blaser (4-5 ; ARI x2)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister and manager Torey Lovullo (ball two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Dbacks-#Giants game. With two out and none on, Giants batter Thairo Estrada took a 1-2 fastball from Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy for a called second ball before tripling to right field. Replays indicate the 1-2 pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 1.03, pz 1.75 [sz_bot 1.64]), the call was correct. At the time of Banister's ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 1-0. Lovullo was ejected after ensuing batter Brandon Crawford's walk-off home run; at the time of Lovullo's ejection, the Giants had won the ballgame, 2-1.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 4th ejection of 2022.

Cory Blaser now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (-2 Prev + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 6).

Crew Chief Dan Bellino now has 6 points in Crew Division (4 Previous + 2 Correct Call = 6).

*These ejections were not reported in the official box scores.

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

These are the 132nd and 133rd ejection reports of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 73rd manager ejection of 2022.

This is Arizona's 4/5th ejection of 2022, T-1st in the NL West (ARI, SD 5; SF 4; COL 2; LAD 1).

This is Jeff Banister's 1st ejection since July 8, 2018 (Chris Segal; QOC = Y [Runner Lane Interference]).

This is Torey Lovullo's 3rd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 30 (John Libka; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Cory Blaser's 4-5th ejection of 2022, 1st since July 15 (Jonathan Villar; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Francisco Giants, 8/16/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 103 - Cory Blaser (3; Jonathan Villar)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Angels batter Jonathan Villar (strike three call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the #Dodgers-#Angels game. With none out and none on, Angels batter Villar took a 1-2 fastball from Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and at the height of the waist (px 1.01, pz 2.18), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Dodgers were leading, 8-0. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 9-1.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 3rd ejection of 2022.

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

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

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

This pitch was located 1.15 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 103rd ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 34th player ejection of 2022. Prior to ejection, Villar was 0-2 (2 SO) in the contest.

This is Los Angeles' 8th ejection of 2022, 1st in the AL West (LAA 8; SEA 7; HOU 6; OAK 4; TEX 0).

This is Jonathan Villar's first career MLB ejection.

This is Cory Blaser's 3rd ejection of 2022, 1st since June 19 (Alex Cintron; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels of Kershaw, 7/15/22 | 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 020 - Cory Blaser (1; Rick Kranitz)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz (check swing ball four call by 1B Umpire Shane Livensparger) in the bottom of the 2nd inning of the #Braves-#Rangers game. With none out and none on, Rangers batter Eli White attempted to check his swing on a 3-2 fastball from Braves pitcher Kyle Muller, ruled no swing on appeal by 1B Umpire Livensparger. Play was reviewed and adjudicated by the UEFL Appeals Board (3-6), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Rangers were leading, 1-0. The Rangers ultimately won the contest, 7-3.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Cory Blaser now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Previous + 2 MLB - 2 QOCN-Crewmate = 2).

Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has Jackpot points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 2).

This is the 20th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is Atlanta's 1st ejection of 2022, T-2nd in the NL East (WAS 2; ATL, MIA, PHI 1; NYM 0).

This is Rick Kranitz's 1st ejection since July 22, 2010 (Bill Hohn; QOC = Y [USC-NEC]).

This is Cory Blaser's 1st ejection since July 20, 2021 (Richard Bleier; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Atlanta Braves vs. Texas Rangers, 5/1/22 | Video as follows:

August 2021 Call of the Month - Cory Blaser's Safe Call

Tmac's choice for call of the month in August 2021 involves 3B Umpire Cory Blaser officiating a play in which Diamondbacks baserunner R3 Christian Walker attempts to safely dive back into third base as Phillies fielder Ronald Torreyes tries to apply a tag.

With none out and a runner on third base, D-Backs batter Drew Ellis hit a ground ball to third base several feet into fair territory. As Torreyes fields the ball, runner Walker, having obtained a secondary lead, attempts to return to third base as Torreyes attempts to retire the runner.

3B Umpire Blaser has both a fair/foul call (at the MLB level, many crews designate the 1B/3B Umpire as the umpire with fair/foul calling responsibility for balls fielded in the dirt cutout near first or third base, regardless of whether the ball was fielded in front of or behind the base) and a safe/out call on the runner. Watch along as Blaser prepares and adjusts to patiently rule the runner safe.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 103 - Cory Blaser (3; Richard Bleier)

1B Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Marlins pitcher Richard Bleier (check swing HBP call) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the #Marlins-#Nationals game. With two out and one on (R2), Nationals batter Alcides Escobar attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 cutter from Bleier, resulting in a hit-by-pitch call ruled no swing by HP Umpire Tom Hallion and affirmed on appeal by 1B Umpire Blaser. Play was reviewed and affirmed (8-0), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 3-3. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 6-3. 

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 3rd ejection of 2021.

Cory Blaser now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct = 4).

Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 4 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 1 QOCY = 4).

This is the 103rd ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 38th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, Bleier's line was 0.2 IP, 3 ER (L, BS).

This is Miami's 6th ejection of 2021, T-1st in the NL East (MIA, PHI 6; NYM 5; WAS 2; ATL 0).

This is Richard Bleier's first career MLB ejection.

This is Cory Blaser's 3rd ejection of 2021, 1st since July 10 (Lance McCullers; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals, 7/20/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 096 - Cory Blaser (2; Lance McCullers)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Astros bench player Lance McCullers Jr (check swing strike three call) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Yankees-#Astros game. With one out and one on (R1), Astros batter Yuli Gurriel attempted to check his swing on a 0-2 slider from Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, ruled a swinging third strike by HP Umpire Blaser. This play is under review by the UEFL Appeals Board, the call was *PENDING*. At the time of the ejection, the Yankees were leading, 1-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 1-0.


This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 2nd ejection of 2021.

Cory Blaser now has ? points in the UEFL Standings (-4 Prev + 2 MLB + ? Call = ?).

Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has ? points in Crew Division (2 Previous + ? Call = ?).

This is the 96th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the 35th player ejection of 2021. Prior to ejection, McCullers did not appear in the game.

This is Houston's 3rd ejection of 2021, 2nd in the AL West (OAK 4; HOU 3; LAA, SEA, TEX 2).

This is Lance McCullers, Jr.' first career MLB ejection.

This is Cory Blasers' 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 24 (David Ross; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros, 7/10/21 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 016 - Cory Blaser (1; David Ross)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Cubs Manager David Ross (strike one call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Brewers-#Cubs game. With none out and one on (R1), Cubs batter Jake Marisnick took a first-pitch fastball from Brewers pitcher Josh Hader for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and above the midpoint between the pants-top and shoulders (px 0.01, pz 3.89 [sz_top 3.29 / RAD 3.41 / MOE 3.50]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Brewers were leading, 4-3. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 1st ejection of 2021.
Cory Blaser now has -2 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -2).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 3 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 0 Incorrect = 3).

*This pitch was located 4.68 vertical inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 16th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the ninth manager ejection of 2021.

This is Chicago's 2nd ejection of 2021, T-1st in the NL Central (CHC, CIN 2; MIL, PIT, STL 0).

This is David Ross' 1st ejection since August 29, 2020 (Nic Lentz; QOC = U [Warnings]).

This is Cory Blaser's 1st ejection since Sept 15, 2018 (Gene Glynn; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs, 4/24/21 | Video as follows: