MLB Ejection 052 - Jordan Baker (5; Craig Counsell [PCR Out])

3B Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Cubs manager Craig Counsell (Replay Review that overturned 2B Umpire Stu Scheurwater's safe call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Cubs-#Mets game. With one out and one on, Cubs batter Michael Busch took a 3-2 slider from Mets pitcher Tobias Myers for a called fourth ball as Cubs baserunner R1 Pete Crow-Armstrong attempted to steal second base. Although HP Umpire Valentine ruled the pitch ball four, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez threw to shortstop Bo Bichette as runner Crow-Armstrong slid into second base, ruled safe by 2B Umpire Scheurwater, overturned to out via Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Replays indicate Crow-Armstrong touched second base, then momentarily broke contact with the base and was tagged at this time, but did not pass the base, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Cubs were leading, 7-2. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 9-6.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 5th ejection of 2026.

*Pursuant to the technical rule, this call is correct. Except when it isn't. At issue is Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(1) Comment, which states, "If, in advancing, the base runner thinks there is a play and they slide past the base before or after touching it they may be put out by the fielder tagging them."

Meanwhile, OBR 5.09(b)(6) states, regarding force plays, "The force is removed as soon as the runner touches the base to which they are forced to advance, and if they overslide or overrun the base, the runner must be tagged to be put out." (Bear in mind that the runner is forced to advance by virtue of the batter becoming a runner, which is subject to the same standard for 'when does protection end?' as any other force play.)

This pits two different standards against each other for the same play: "past the base" and "overslides the base", which mean different things. Whereas passing a base is defined as having both feet on the ground past the leading edge of the base, "OVERSLIDE (or OVERSLIDING) is the act of an offensive player when his slide to a base, other than when advancing from home to first base, is with such momentum that he loses contact with the base."

Ultimately, the stricter standard of oversliding takes the day and PCR is called out pursuant to OBR 5.09(b)(4): "Any runner is out when they are tagged, when the ball is alive, while off their base."

This is the 52nd ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 31st manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 31 Managers, 7 Coaches, 14 Players.

This is Chicago's 3rd ejection of 2026, 2nd in the NL Central (PIT 5; CHC 3; CIN 2; STL 1; MIL 0).

This is Craig Counsell's 3rd ejection of 2026, 1st since June 11 (Louie Krupa; QOC = N [Fair/Foul]).

This is Jordan Baker's 5th ejection of 2026, 1st since May 30 (Brandon Lowe; QOC = N [ABS Denial]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets, 6/23/26 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 040 - Jordan Baker (4; Brandon Lowe)

1B Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Pirates 2B Brandon Lowe (ABS challenge denial/called strike by HP Umpire Alex Tosi; QOCN) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Twins-#Pirates game. With none out and none on, Pirates batter Lowe took a 1-1 fastball from Twins pitcher Bailey Ober for a called second strike. Lowe attempted to challenge HP Umpire Alex Tosi's strike call, but the challenge request was died. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the hollow beneath the knee (px -0.43, pz 1.38 [sz_bot 1.56 / RAD 1.44 / MOE 1.40]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 7-7. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 10-9.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 4th ejection of 2026.

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

This is the 40th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 12th player ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 23 Managers, 5 Coaches, 12 Players.

This is Pittsbugh's 5th ejection of 2026, 1st in the NL Central (PIT 5; CHC, CIN 1; MIL, STL 0).

This is Brandon Lowe's first career MLB ejection.

This is Jordan Baker's 4th ejection of 2026, 1st since May 15 (Derek Shelton; QOC = Y [Obstruction]).

Wrap: Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 5/30/26 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 028 - Jordan Baker (3; Derek Shelton)

3B Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Twins manager Derek Shelton (obstruction call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Brewers-#Twins game. With none out and two on, Brewers batter William Contreras hit a 1-1 sweeper from Twins pitcher Andrew Morris on the ground to shortstop Brooks Lee, who threw to third baseman Royce Lewis as Brewers baserunner R3 Jackson Chourio attempted to return to third base, ruled obstruction by 3B Umpire Baker, with Chourio being awarded home. Replays indicate that in placing his right foot in front of and straddling third base prior to receiving the throw and not in a location he must have occupied to field the baseball (e.g., Lewis set up in front of third base, as opposed to even with or behind its leading edge), Lewis obstructed Chourio, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 2-2. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 3rd ejection of 2026.

*Official Baseball Rules Definition: "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."

MLB's 2024 Obstruction Point of Emphasis holds that a fielder may only qualify for the "act of fielding" exception if they must occupy that space to field the throw.

OBS Type 1 (A) mandates a one-base (minimum) award for the obstructed runner.

OBR 6.01(h)(1): "If a play is being made on the obstructed runner...the obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base they had last legally touched before the obstruction."

This is the 28th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 16th manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 16 Managers, 4 Coaches, 8 Players.

This is Minnesota's 4th ejection of 2026, 1st in the AL Central (MIN 4; DET 2; KC 1; CWS, CLE 0).

This is Derek Shelton's 3rd ejection of 2026, 1st since April 18 (Nic Lentz; QOC = U-c [Check Swing]).

This is Jordan Baker's 3rd ejection of 2026, 1st since May 14 (AJ Hinch; QOC = N [Replay Review]).

Wrap: Milwaukee Brewers vs Minnesota Twins, 5/15/26 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 027 - Jordan Baker (2; AJ Hinch)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Tigers manager AJ Hinch (Replay Review decision that upheld 3B Umpire Junior Valentine's out call; QOCN) in the top of the 4th inning of the #Tigers-#Mets game. With none out and one on, Tigers batter Zach McKinstry hit a 0-0 cutter from Mets pitcher Nolan McLean to left fielder MJ Melendez, who fielded the ball on a bounce and threw to 3B Brett Baty as Tigers baserunner R2 Gage Workman slid into third base, ruled out by 3B Umpire Valentine and upheld ("call stands") after manager's challenge. Replays indicate baserunner Workman's arm appeared to contact third base prior to Baty's glove touching Workman's body, the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 3-1. The Tigers ultimately won the contest, 3-1.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 2nd ejection of 2026.

This is the 27th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 15th manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 15 Managers, 4 Coaches, 8 Players.

This is Detroit's 2nd ejection of 2026, 2nd in the AL Central (MIN 3; DET 2; KC 1; CWS, CLE 0).

This is AJ Hinch's 1st ejection since June 19, 2025 (Chris Guccione; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

This is Jordan Baker's 2nd ejection of 2026, 1st since March 31 (Don Kelly; QOC = U-c [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Detroit Tigers vs New York Mets, 5/14/26 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 004 - Jordan Baker (1; Don Kelly)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Pirates manager Don Kelly (check swing ball one call by 1B Umpire Rob Drake) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Pirates-#Reds game. With none out and none on, Reds batter Eugenio Suárez attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 fastball from Pirates pitcher Hunter Barco, ruled a ball by HP Umpire Baker and affirmed as no swing on appeal by 1B Umpire Drake. At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 6-3. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 1st ejection of 2026.

This is the 4th ejection report of the 2026 MLB regular season.

This is the 4th manager ejection of 2026. Ejection Tally: 4 Managers, 0 Coaches, 0 Players.

This is Pittsbugh's 1st ejection of 2026, 1st in the NL Central (PIT 1; CHC, CIN, MIL, STL 0).

This is Don Kelly's 1st ejection since August 12, 2025 (Roberto Ortiz; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since June 6, 2025 (Ryan Jeffers; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds, 3/31/26 | Video as follows:

Obstruction in Boston as Runner & Catcher Collide on Batted Ball

"Obstruction!" announced umpire Jordan Baker after Guardians batter-runner José Ramírez and Red Sox catcher Connor Wong collided on a batted ball up the first baseline. Instead of an out, Ramírez was awarded first base and Cleveland's Brayan Rocchio scored from third. What's the rule and did Baker's crew get the call right?

With one out and runners on second and third in the top of the 2nd inning of Wednesday's Guardians vs Red Sox game, batter Ramírez hit a check swing ground ball in front of home plate toward first base. Boston catcher Wong initially pursued the batted ball before stopping once he saw pitcher Steven Matz running to field it, turning around to head back to cover home plate as R3 Rocchio raced in.

But as Wong turned toward home, he collided with batter-runner Ramírez. Initially ruled interference on Ramírez, chief Baker called his crew into consultation, ultimately ruling that, because Wong was not entitled to protection under the rules for fielding a batted ball, he therefore obstructed the batter-runner. Accordingly, the batter-runner was awarded first base and all runners advanced one base.

In general, baseball's right-of-way rules give the fielder the right to field a batted ball (meaning the runners must avoid the fielder lest they be guilty of interference) while the runner has the right to run the bases at any other time (the fielder must get out of the runner's way). However, only one fielder is entitled to right-of-way protection on a batted ball and, in this case, that protected fielder was not the pitcher, not the catcher. As such, the unprotected catcher obstructed the runner's right to run the bases.

This is the correct call pursuant to the following rules:

Official Baseball Rule 6.01(a)(10): "It is interference by a batter or a runner when they fail to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interfere with a thrown ball, provided that if two or more fielders attempt to field a batted ball, and the runner comes in contact with one or more of them, the umpire shall determine which fielder is entitled to the benefit of this rule, and shall not declare the runner out for coming in contact with a fielder other than the one the umpire determines to be entitled to field such a ball."

OBR 6.01(h)(1): "If a play is being made on the obstructed runner, or if the batter-runner is obstructed before they touch first base, the ball is dead and all runners shall advance, without liability to be put out, to the bases they would have reached, in the umpire’s judgment, if there had been no obstruction. The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base they had last legally touched before the obstruction."

Wrap: Cleveland Guardians vs Boston Red Sox, 9/3/25 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 062 - Jordan Baker (3; Ryan Jeffers)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Twins PH Ryan Jeffers (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #BlueJays-#Twins game. With none out and two on, Twins batter Jeffers took a 3-2 knuckle curve from Blue Jays pitcher Brendon Little for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the hollow beneath the knee (px 0.64, pz 1.41 [sz_bot 1.57 / RAD 1.45 / MOE 1.37]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Blue Jays were leading, 6-3. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 6-4.

 

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 3rd ejection of 2025.

*This pitch was located 0.48 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 62nd ejection report of the 2025 MLB regular season.

This is the 19th player ejection of 2025. Ejection Tally: 31 Managers, 12 Coaches, 19 Players.

This is Minnesota's 5th ejection of 2025, 1st in the AL Central (MIN 5; CWS, KC 2; DET 1; CLE 0).

This is Ryan Jeffers' 1st career MLB ejection.

This is Jordan Baker's 3rd ejection of 2025, 1st since May 19 (Matt Quatraro; QOC = Y [Obstruction]).

Box: Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins, 6/6/25 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 038 - Jordan Baker (2; Matt Quatraro)

2B Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Royals manager Matt Quatraro (out/non-obstruction call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Royals-#Giants game. With one out and one on and Michael Massey at bat, Giants pitcher Robbie Ray threw to first baseman Casey Schmitt, who threw to shortstop Willy Adames to pick off Royals baserunner R1 Dairon Blanco, attempting to steal second base. Replays indicate Adames tagged Blanco prior to the runner's arrival at second base and without illegally blocking the runner's access to the base (act of fielding exception), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 3-1.

 

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 2nd ejection of 2025.

*Official Baseball Rules Definition: "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."

Related Ejection: E77 - Paul Clemons (2; Matt Quatraro; QOC = Y [Obstruction No-Call]) (6/13/24).

This is the 38th ejection of the 2025 MLB regular season.

This is the 19th manager ejection of 2025. Ejection Tally: 19 Managers, 10 Coaches, 9 Players.

This is Kansas City's 2nd ejection of 2025, 1st in the AL Central (CWS, KC, MIN 2; CLE, DET 0).

This is Matt Quatraro's 1st ejection since June 27, 2024 (Tripp Gibson; QOC = Y [Base Path]).

This is Jordan Baker's 2nd ejection of 2025, 1st since May 17 (Jeff Banister; QOC = Y [Pitch Clock]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants, 5/19/25 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 036 - Jordan Baker (1; Jeff Banister)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister (pitch timer: disengagement count; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Rockies-#Diamondbacks game. With one out and none on, Rockies batter Ezequiel Tovar singled off Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson, who promptly attempted a pickoff throw during ensuing Rockies batter Hunter Goodman's at-bat for Thompson's first disengagement. After receiving the ball from D-Backs first baseman Pavin Smith, Thompson faked a pickoff throw, resulting in a second disengagement pursuant to baseball's pitch timer/clock rules pertaining to disengagement limits. Banister was ejected for continuing to argue after Goodman's fly out and warning to stop, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Rockies were leading, 13-11. The Rockies ultimately won the contest, 14-12.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 1st ejection of 2025.

This is the 36th ejection of the 2025 MLB regular season.

This is the 10th coach ejection of 2025. Ejection Tally: 17 Managers, 10 Coaches, 9 Players.

This is Arizona's 4th ejection of 2025, 1st in the NL West (ARI 4; SD 2; LAD, SF 1; COL 0).

This is Jeff Banister's 1st ejection since June 23, 2024 (Ben May; QOC = Y [Pitch Clock Violation]).

This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since July 22, 2024 (Torey Lovullo; QOC = Y [Warnings]).

Wrap: Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks, 5/17/25 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 125 - Jordan Baker (2; Torey Lovullo)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (warnings after Gabriel Moreno HBP) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Diamondbacks-#Royals game. With one out and none on in the bottom of the 6th, Royals batter Bobby Witt Jr, who was a single shy of hitting for the cycle, took a 0-0 sinker from Diamondbacks pitcher Humberto Castellanos for a hit-by-pitch. With two outs and none on in the top of the 7th, Diamondbacks batter Moreno took a 2-1 sinker from Royals pitcher John Schreiber for a hit-by-pitch, resulting in warnings. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and struck Moreno in the back, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Royals were leading, 10-3. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 10-4.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 2nd ejection of 2024.

This is the 125th ejection of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 63rd manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 63 Managers, 17 Coaches, 45 Players.

This is Arizona's 6th ejection of 2024, T-1st in the NL West (ARI, SD, SF 6; COL 3; LAD 0).

This is Torey Lovullo's 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 15 (Nick Mahrley; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Jordan Baker's 2nd ejection of 2024, 1st since July 7 (Julio Rodríguez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Kansas City Royals, 7/22/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 108 - Jordan Baker (1; Julio Rodríguez)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Mariners bench player Julio Rodríguez (strike three call to Mitch Garver; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #BlueJays-#Mariners game. With none out and none on, Mariners batter Garver took a 3-2 slider from Blue Jays pitcher Chad Green. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and at the midpoint (px 0.58, pz 1.56 [sz_bot 1.58 / RAD 1.46]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 4-4. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 5-4, in 10 innings.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 1st ejection of 2024.

*This pitch was located 3.24 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 108th ejection of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 40th player ejection of 2024. Prior to ejection, Rodríguez was 0-0 in the contest (HBP).

Ejection Tally: 54 Managers, 14 Coaches, 40 Players.

This is Seattle's 7th ejection of 2024, 1st in the AL West (SEA 7; OAK, HOU 6; TEX 4; LAA 1).

This is Julio Rodriguez's 1st ejection since June 26, 2022 (John Bacon; QOC = U [Fighting]).

This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since August 26, 2023 (Dave Roberts; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners, 7/7/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 214-5 - Jordan Baker (2-3; LAD x2)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Dodgers 3B Max Muncy and manager Dave Roberts (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Dodgers-#RedSox game. With two out and the bases loaded, Muncy took a 0-2 splitter from Red Sox pitcher Chris Martin for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.54, pz 1.36 [sz_bot 1.48 / RAD 1.36 / MOE 1.28]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejections, the Red Sox were leading, 7-5. The Red Sox ultimately won the contest, 8-5.

These are Jordan Baker (71)'s 2nd and 3rd ejections of 2023.

*This pitch was located 1.00 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 214th and 215th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This the 87th player ejection of 2023. This is the 98th manager ejection of 2023.

Ejection Tally: 98 Managers, 87 Players, 30 Coaches.

This is Los Angeles' 3/4th ejection of 2023, T-3rd in the NL West (SD 10; ARI 7; COL, LAD 4; SF 2).

This is Max Muncy's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 21 (Paul Emmel; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Dave Roberts' 1st ejection since May 17, 2022 (Larry Vanover; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

This is Jordan Baker's 2/3rd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 30 (Dylan Floro; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs Boston Red Sox, 8/26/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 082 - Jordan Baker (1; Dylan Floro)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Marlins pitcher Dylan Floro (balls/strikes; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Padres-#Marlins game. With none out and none on, Padres batter Fernando Tatis walked, stole second and advanced to third base on a throwing error, Juan Soto walked, Xander Bogaerts singled, Rougned Odor reached on a fielder's choice with a throwing error, and Matt Carpenter doubled. Replays indicate all callable pitches during Floro's appearance in the game were properly officiated, including ball four to Tatis to start the inning, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Padres were leading, 8-4. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 9-4.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

This is the 82nd ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 36th player ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 38 Managers, 36 Players, 8 Coaches.

This is Miami's 7th ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL East (MIA 7; PHI 5; NYM 2; ATL 1; WAS 0).

This is Dylan Floro's first career MLB ejection.

This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since August 26, 2021 (John Schneider; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Diego Padres vs Miami Marlins, 5/30/23 | Video as follows:

Teachable - Baker's Barker on Braves' Safe Play at Home

In this postseason, teachable, Tmac spotlights the first part of Atlanta's NLCS Game 2 comeback win over Los Angeles as HP Umpire Jordan Baker rules Braves baserunner Eddie Rosario safe at home plate, having slid ahead of Dodgers catcher Will Smith's tag attempt, a called confirmed by Replay Review.

With one out and one on (R2) in the 8th inning, Braves batter Ozzie Albies hit a Julio Urias curveball on a line drive to right fielder Steven Souza, who fielded the batted ball on a bounce and threw home as runner R2 Rosario rounded third and charged toward the plate. 

We see HP Umpire Baker begin the play at the point of plate before moving toward his left for an intermediate starting position, and then finally sidestepping toward the first baseline in order to maintain the wedge or keyhole angle of daylight between the catcher and runner.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 151 - Jordan Baker (2; John Schneider)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Blue Jays major league coach John Schneider (strike two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the #WhiteSox-#BlueJays game. With two out and none on, Blue Jays batter Vladimir Guerrero took a 2-1 fastball from White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and above the knee (px 0.32, pz 1.69 [sz_bot 1.59 / RAD 1.47]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the White Sox were leading, 9-7. The White Sox ultimately won the contest, 10-7.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s 2nd ejection of 2021.

Jordan Baker now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).

Crew Chief Mark Carlson now has 5 points in Crew Division (4 Previous + 1 QOCY = 5).

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

This pitch was located 7.13 horizontal and 3.64 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 151st ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is Toronto's 5th ejection of 2021, T-2nd in the AL East (NYY 9; BOS, TOR 5; BAL 2; TB 0).

This is John Schneider's first career MLB ejection.

This is Jordan Baker's 2nd ejection of 2021, 1st since April 15 (Alex Cora; QOC = N [HBP/Foul]).

Wrap: Chicago White Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 8/26/21 | Video as follows:

Replay Rewind - HBP Reversed to Out at First Base

After HP Umpire Jordan Baker called for a hit-by-pitch on an inside pitch to Red Sox batter Christian Vasquez, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged the call, resulting in Replay Review's decision to declare Vasquez out at first base despite Baker having called "Time" immediately after the ball ricocheted from the batter's box.

With no score in the 2nd inning during Jackie Robinson Day's Boston-Minnesota game, batter Vasquez checked his swing on a 0-2 fastball from Twins pitcher Michael Pineda, ruled a hit-by-pitch by HP Umpire Baker.

With umpires ruling the batter had not attempted to strike the pitch (no swing), Baldelli challenged the call, with Replay Review determining that the pitched ball had not made contact with Vasquez's hands, but instead with the knob of the bat.

As a result, despite the plate umpire's "Time" call, Replay HQ ruled Vasquez out at first base, having seen that Twins shortstop JT Riddle was in position to field the batted ball and actually did retrieve the ball and throw it to first baseman Miguel Sano, who tagged first base prior to Vasquez's arrival (all off-camera). 

Naturally, Vasquez acted as if the pitch hit him so he didn't actually run to first base while the Twins acted as if the pitch had struck the bat (and was thus a fair ground ball). Replay determined the Twins were in the right, and thus awarded the out.

It should be noted that when first released in 2014, MLB's Replay Review Regulations (specifically IV.A.4) stated, "The Replay Official may not declare a runner out based on a play the umpire believes would have occurred subsequent to the play subject to Replay Review." MLB's website, which fails to supply the full text of the regulations as it did in 2014, makes no reference to this sentence.

For more information on playing out a sequence that might go to and be reversed by replay, see the following articles regarding the false fourth out.

Related Post: False Fourth Out - Ball Stays Alive After Third Out (7/25/18).

Related Post: Baseball Rules Series: Replay's New Normal (4th Out) (4/19/14).

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 011 - Jordan Baker (1; Alex Cora)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Red Sox Manager Alex Cora (foul ball call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #RedSox-#Twins game. With one out and two on, Twins batter Ryan Jeffers attempted to strike a 1-2 changeup from Red Sox pitcher Matt Andriese, ruled a foul ball by Baker. Replays indicate Jeffers' bat did not make contact with Andriese's pitch as it bounced into the mitt of catcher Christian Vasquez, the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 3-3. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s first ejection of 2021.
Jordan Baker now has -2 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -2).
Crew Chief Mark Carlson now has 1 point in Crew Division (1 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 1).

This is the 11th ejection report of the 2021 MLB regular season.

This is the sixth manager ejection of 2021.

This is Boston's 1st ejection of 2021, T-1st in the AL East (BAL, BOS 1; NYY, TB, TOR 0).

This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since July 26, 2020 (Derek Holland; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Alex Cora's 1st ejection since August 3, 2019 (Mike Estabrook; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins, 4/15/21 | Video as follows:

Umpire Jordan Baker Nearly Called a Perfect Game and the World Will Never Know

On Day 1 of UEFL f/x—in which we introduced preliminary/day-of vs final/day-after plate score reporting—we discovered that umpire Jordan Baker nearly called a perfect game in Cleveland (one pitch shy), but thanks to the MLB computer's vertical strike zone blind spot, the world may never know.

During Game 1 of the Yankees-Indians AL Wild Card Series, HP Umpire Baker saw 166 callable pitches and, according to baseball's real-time pitch tracking computer, officiated 163 of those 166 pitches correctly for a plate score of 98.2%.

As we discussed in our UEFL f/x 3.0 Plate Score primer, baseball's computer quietly changes its grading system overnight, after the computer essentially double-checks itself to account for errors caused by the computer's inability to see certain vertical strike zone attributes in real-time.

Related Post: About UEFL f/x 3.0 Plate Scores for Postseason (9/29/20).

Baker's game in Cleveland was no exception: While the computer scored Baker as 163/166 = 98.2% on the day of his game, MLB's computer went to work overnight re-processing and re-grading Baker's work, ultimately returning a result we hypothesized would likely occur: it increased Baker's score from 163/166 = 98.2% to 165/166 = 99.4%, an increase of +2 pitches and +1.2% accuracy.

Jordan Baker's preliminary (pre-processed) plate score for NYY-CLE WC Game 1 was 98.2%.

Perhaps a more convincing way of putting it would be the inverse of accuracy, or what Mark Williams at Boston University would call, the "Bad Call Rate" (BCR). Thus, Baker's preliminary, day-of BCR was 100-98.2= 1.8%, a strong performance in its own right.

However, after post-game processing, MLB's morning-after BCR for Baker decreased from 1.8% to just 0.6%. And, thanks to the lack of fanfare surrounding the post-game processing procedure, fans who saw Baker's game in real-time will never know what he called a better game than what ESPN K-Zone initially showed.

Baker's final (post-game processed) plate score for NYY-CLE WC Game 1 was 99.4%.

Put differently, the computer preliminarily charged Baker with three incorrect calls (163/166), but after processing changed its grade to just one incorrect call (165/166). For the computer, to decrease its red marks on Baker's game by two-of-three pitches or 66.7%, constitutes an incredibly statistically significant adjustment.

And this adjustment rate of 66.7%—which would be known as a failure rate had the computer made these calls in real-time, as would be the case with a robot umpire or computerized strike zone proposal, such as Automated Ball/Strike System (ABS)—is a blatant Achilles heel in the ABS experiment and one reason why, despite sign-off from the umpires' union and Commissioner Rob Manfred's vow to put computers in baseball games, MLB has, as of yet, been unable to assign a RoboUmp to call balls and strikes.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 01 - Jordan Baker (1; Derek Holland)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Pirates pitcher/bench player Derek Holland (ball three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the #Pirates-#Cardinals game. With one out and none on, Cardinals batter Lane Thomas took a 2-1 fastball from Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller for a called third ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px 0.51, pz 1.07 [sz_bot 1.53]) and that all other callable pitches during the half inning preceding ejection were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s first ejection of the 2020 MLB regular season.
Jordan Baker now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Jerry Meals now has 0 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 0).
*This pitch was located 6.52 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the first ejection report of 2020.
This is the 1st player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Holland did not appear in the game.
This is Pittsburgh's 1st ejection of 2020, 1st in the NL Central (PIT 1; CHC, CIN, MIL, STL 0).
This is Derek Holland's first career MLB ejection.
This is Jordan Baker's 1st ejection since August 29, 2019 (Josh Reddick; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7/26/20 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 178 - Jordan Baker (3; Josh Reddick)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Astros RF Josh Reddick (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Rays-#Astros game. With one out and none on, Reddick took a 3-2 fastball from Rays pitcher Emilio Pagan for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and below at the hollow of the knee (px 0.24, pz 1.40 [sz_bot 1.67 / RAD 1.54 / MOE 1.46] [sz_bot 1.59 / RAD 1.47 / MOE 1.38]), the call was incorrect correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Rays were leading, 9-8. The Rays ultimately won the contest, 9-8.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s third ejection of 2019.
Jordan Baker now has 10 points in the UEFL Standings (6 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 10).
Crew Chief Greg Gibson now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 3).
*This call is was previously incorrect by 0.72 vertical inches. If overnight processing for Reddick's sz_bot for the strike three call changed the value to 1.61 or less, Baker's call would be deemed correct.
*Postgame processing lowered Reddick's sz_bot from 1.67 to 1.59, which is a 0.08-foot or 0.96-inch adjustment. Accordingly, the call, previously incorrect by 0.72 inches, is now correct by 0.24 vertical inches (0.72 - 0.96 = -0.24).

This is the 178th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 88th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Reddick was 1-4 (2 SO) in the contest.
This is Houston's 5th ejection of 2019, T-2nd in the AL West (OAK 6; HOU, SEA 5; TEX 4; LAA 3).
This is Josh Reddick's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since August 1 (Vic Carapazza; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Jordan Baker's 3rd ejection of 2019, 1st since July 24 (Anthony Rizzo; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros, 8/29/19 | Video as follows: