MLB Ejection 118 - Adam Hamari (4; Tyler Webb)

HP Umpire Adam Hamari ejected Cardinals pitcher Tyler Webb (throwing at Royals batter Jorge Bonifacio; QOCU) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the Cardinals-Royals game. With two out and none on, Bonifacio took a 1-2 fastball from Webb for a hit-by-pitch. Replays indicate the pitch was located inside and hit Bonifacio's shoulder, having followed a prior pitch during the at-bat similarly thrown inside, the fifth such hit batsman of the game, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 8-2. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 8-2.

This is Adam Hamari (78)'s fourth ejection of 2018.
Adam Hamari now has -1 points in the UEFL Standings (-3 Prev + 2 MLB + 0 Irrecusable Call = -1).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has -8 points in Crew Division (-9 Previous + 1 Irrecusable Call = -8).

This is the 118th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 57th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejeciton, Webb's line was 0.2 IP, 2 SO, HBP.
This is St. Louis' 2nd ejection of 2018, T-4th in the NL Central (CHC 7; MIL 4; CIN 3; PIT, STL 2).
This is Tyler Webb's first career MLB ejection.
This is Adam Hamari's 4th ejection of 2018, 1st since August 11 (Danny Duffy; QOC = * [Check Swing]).

Wrap: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals, 8/12/18 | Video as follows:

Bagwell on West - Fair, Consistent, Does a Good Job

After the controversy and contention dies down, the business of baseball settles the player-umpire dynamic in one of a few ways, including cordiality and respect. For an example, we turn to Hall of Fame Astros legend Jeff Bagwell and MLB veteran Joe West.

Yes, sometimes grudges rule the day and for that, see the following post, but this brief blurb is about a positive outcome.
Related Post: Let's Talk - Mental Health in an Abusive Environment (10/10/17).

This one's a quick story, with Bagwell visiting the Astros booth as part of Astros Legends Weekend at Minute Maid Park, coincidentally with West serving as Saturday evening's home plate umpire.

Bagwell, who was never ejected in his 2,150-game Hall of Fame career, told an anecdote or two of his time playing in front of West (and his proprietary West Vest), surmising in the end that, "Joe's a great umpire. If I had a big game, honestly, I'd want Joe behind the plate. I think he's very fair, consistent, and does a great job."

For reference, The Hardball Times named West the most consistent umpire in baseball in a 2007 study.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 117 - Adam Hamari (3; Danny Duffy)

1B Umpire Adam Hamari ejected Royals pitcher Danny Duffy (check swing ball two call) in the top of the 6th inning of the Cardinals-Royals game. With one out and one on (R1), Cardinals batter Harrison Bader attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 changeup from Duffy, ruled a ball by HP Umpire Ryan Blakney and affirmed as no swing by 1B Umpire Hamari, before hitting a home run on a later 3-2 pitch. Play was reviewed and adjudicated by the UEFL Appeals Board (0-6-3), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 6-2. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

This is Adam Hamari (78)'s third ejection of 2018.
Adam Hamari now has -3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -3).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has -9 points in Crew Division (-9 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = -9).

This is the 117th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 56th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejeciton, Duffy's line was 5.1 IP, 6 ER, HR.
This is Kansas City's 5th ejection of 2018, 2nd in the AL Central (CWS 7; KC 5; MIN 4; DET 3; CLE 1).
This is Danny Duffy's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since June 17 (John Tumpane; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Adam Hamari's 3rd ejection of 2018, 1st since August 3 (Alex Cora; QOC = U [Warnings]).

Wrap: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals, 8/11/18 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 116 - Bill Miller (1; Joe Maddon)

HP Umpire Bill Miller ejected Cubs Manager Joe Maddon (batter-runner's lane interference; QOCY) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Nationals-Cubs game. With none out and one on (R1), Cubs batter Willson Contreras bunted a 0-1 slider from Nationals pitcher Greg Holland on the ground to third baseman Anthony Rendon, who threw to first baseman Matt Adams as Contreras ran toward first base, ruled out for runner's lane interference by HP Umpire Miller. Replays indicate Contreras ran inside (to the left of) the foul line, thus out of the running lane, for the entirety of his journey to first base. By rule, the batter-runner is liable to be called out for interference if he fails to run within the runner's lane for the entire length of said runner's lane, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 2-2. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Bill Miller (26)'s first ejection of 2018.
Bill Miller now has 1 point in the UEFL Standings (-3 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 1).
Crew Chief Bill Miller now has -7 points in Crew Division (-8 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -7).

*OBR 5.09(a)(11) states a batter is out when—"In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire’s judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead."
The runner may exit the lane "in the immediate vicinity of first base for the sole purpose of touching first base." However, the runner is not protected via this "exit" provision of Rule 5.09(a)(11) Comment if he isn't actually exiting the lane (e.g., if the runner is not within the lane from the beginning, he cannot physically "exit" it and, thus, isn't protected by the "exit" exemption).
Jim Evans Interpretation: "A runner who has advanced the entire distance from home plate to first in fair territory making no effort to run within the lane is not extended the same leniency as the runner who runs in the lane as required and then cuts into fair territory near the base to touch it."
Harry Wendelstedt Interpretation: "The determination is not whether the throw is true, but whether it could still reasonably retire the runner."

More About Runner's Lane Interference:
Related Post: Running Lane Interference and Advancing to 1st Base (9/6/15).
Related Post: Officially Speaking - Runner's Lane Interference (6/3/16).
Related Post: Officially Speaking - RLI No-Call, Part Deux (7/2/16).
Related Post: Angels Protest Cuzzi RLI No-Call in Kansas City [Denied] (7/27/16).
Related Post: Runner's Lane Interference Plagues Chicago's Heyward (5/24/17).

This is the 116th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 47th Manager ejection of 2018.
This is Chicago-NL's 7th ejection of 2018, 1st in the NL Central (CHC 7; MIL 4; CIN 3; PIT 2; STL 1).
This is Joe Maddon's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since July 21 (Will Little; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).
This is Bill Miller's first ejection since July 8, 2017 (Lorenzo Cain; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs, 8/10/18 | Video as follows:

UEFL's MLB Umpire Sabermetrics - July 2018

UEFL's MLB Umpire Sabermetrics report for July 2018 features 107 ejections and 910 Replay Reviews through 1,609 regular season games played (66.2% complete). Click here for last month's stats.

Though ejection #s are projected to decrease year-over-year, based on current rates, replays are projected to remain at an equitable level.

The attached Most & Least Accurate Umpires, Replay Review contains the top and bottom of the Replay Review table ordinarily found in the "Read More" detailed section of the monthly report.

Related: Visit our Replay Review Statistics and Sabermetrics page for daily-updated umpire stats. This page includes Replay Review Rankings sorted by umpire, by team, and by call type. Daily ejections information is available at our Ejection List page.

Summary, Ejections.
>> 107 Total Regular Season Ejections through July 31, 2018 (on pace for 162 ejections this season).
>> Umpires were 73.3% accurate on calls associated with ejection.
>> The New York Yankees led MLB in ejections. The Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres led the National League.
>> Managers John Gibbons led MLB in ejections. Andy Green led the National League.
>> Player Matt Kemp led MLB players in ejections. Marwin Gonzalez led the American League.
>> Umpires Brian Gorman and Hunter Wendelstedt led all umpires in ejections.
>> Chief Larry Vanover's crew led all umpire crews in ejections.
>> Most ejections occurred in the 3rd inning; Ejections from 7th and on comprised 38% of all tosses.
>> Most ejections occurred on Wednesday. Weekend series (Fri-Sun) featured 30% of all heave-ho's.
>> The most common reason for ejection was Balls/Strikes, followed by Check Swings.
>> All else equal, a team tied at the time of ejection ended up winning the game 40.0% of the time.

Summary, Replay Reviews.
>> 910 Total Replay Reviews, of which calls were affirmed 52.0% of the time (48.0% overturned).
>> The Twins and Cardinals used replay more than any other team, but were fairly unsuccessful.
>> The Kansas City Royals were the League's most successful team in review (21-for-27).
>> The BAL Orioles experienced fewer reviews than any other team.
>> The Milwaukee Brewers were the worst MLB team in terms of Replay success (5-for-20).
>> Umpire Brian O'Nora was the umpire most reviewed.
>> Chief Jeff Kellogg's crew led all of baseball in replay activity, and performed at league average.
>> Umpire John Tumpane led in accuracy (8/10).
>> Umpire Phil Cuzzi experienced the highest rate of calls overturned by replay (9/11).
>> Umpire Brian O'Nora had the most number of calls overturned by replay (11 overturns).
>> The 8th inning had more reviews than any other inning. 43% of all reviews occurred from 7th-on.
>> Most reviews occurred on Saturday; Weekend series (Fri-Sun) featured 50% of all replays.
>> The most common reason for review was Out/Safe (Force - 1st) followed by Out/Safe (Tag - In).

Most & Least Accurate Umpires, Replay Review (sorted by Review Affirmation Percentage [RAP]).

Rank	Umpire	RAP	Ovrtrn	Upheld
1	Tumpane, John	80.0%	2	8
2	Fairchild, Chad	77.8%	2	7
2	Scheurwater, Stu	77.8%	2	7
2	Timmons, Tim	77.8%	2	7
5	Davis, Gerry	76.9%	3	10
6	Libka, John	75.0%	1	3
6	Barber, Sean	75.0%	2	6
6	Rackley, Dave	75.0%	2	6
6	Barrett, Ted	75.0%	3	9
10	Estabrook, Mike	71.4%	2	5
10	May, Ben	71.4%	2	5
10	Torres, Carlos	71.4%	4	10
13	Gorman, Brian	68.8%	5	11
14	Wolf, Jim	66.7%	1	2
14	Reynolds, Jim	66.7%	3	6
14	Woodring, Tom	66.7%	3	6
14	Reyburn, DJ	66.7%	5	10
14	Welke, Bill	66.7%	5	10

---

73	Porter, Alan	35.7%	9	5
74	Iassogna, Dan	33.3%	2	1
74	Foster, Marty	33.3%	4	2
74	Kulpa, Ron	33.3%	4	2
74	Miller, Bill	33.3%	6	3
74	Winters, Mike	33.3%	6	3
74	Gibson, Greg	33.3%	8	4
74	Wolcott, Quinn	33.3%	8	4
74	Meals, Jerry	33.3%	10	5
82	Hamari, Adam	30.0%	7	3
82	Kellogg, Jeff	30.0%	7	3
82	Wegner, Mark	30.0%	7	3
85	Tichenor, Todd	28.6%	5	2
85	Holbrook, Sam	28.6%	10	4
87	Livensparger, Shane	25.0%	3	1
88	Cuzzi, Phil	18.2%	9	2

Umpires with Fewest and Greatest # of Overturned Calls [NEW]
1 Overturn: Libka, Marhley, Wolf.
2 Overturns: Barber, De Jesus, Estabrook, Fairchild, Iassogna, May, Rackley, Scheurwater, Timmons, Tumpane.
---
9 Overturns: Cuzzi, Porter.
10 Overturns: Cooper, Holbrook, Meals.
11 Overturns: O'Nora.

For detailed sabermetric analysis of MLB umpire ejections and instant replay review outcomes, follow the "read more" link below.

MLB Ejection 115 - Nic Lentz (2; Justin Verlander)

HP Umpire Nic Lentz ejected Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (balk call; QOCY) in the top of the 2nd inning of the Mariners-Astros game. With two out and one on (R2), Verlander attempted to pick off Mariners baserunner R2 Mitch Haniger and, in doing so, was called for a balk by HP Umpire Lentz. Replays indicate Verlander made a motion naturally associated with his pitch and failed to make such delivery while stepping to the side of the rubber, but not toward second base, prior to disengaging the pitcher's plate, and that all callable pitches during the half-inning were properly officiated (12/12 = 100% accuracy), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Mariners were leading, 6-0. The Mariners ultimately won the contest, 8-6.

This is Nic Lentz (59)'s second ejection of 2018.
Nic Lentz now has 9 points in the UEFL Standings (5 Prev + 2 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 9).
Crew Chief Joe West now has 1 point in Crew Division (0 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 1).

This is the 115th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 55th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Verlander's line was 2.0 IP, 6 ER, 3 HR.
This is Houston's 4th ejection of 2018, 2nd in the AL West (TEX 5; HOU 4; LAA, SEA 3; OAK 1).
This is Justin Verlander's first ejection since July 5, 2011 (Joe West; QOC = Y-C [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Nic Lentz's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since July 23 (Kevin Long; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros, 8/9/18 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 114 - Adrian Johnson (1; James Rowson)

HP Umpire Adrian Johnson ejected Twins Hitting Coach James Rowson (strike three call; QOCN) in the top of the 7th inning of the Twins-Indians game. With none out and none on, Twins batter Ehire Adrianza took a 2-2 sinker from Indians pitcher Corey Kluber for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and above the midpoint (px .516, pz 3.634 [sz_top 3.411 / RAD 3.534 / MOE 3.617]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 4-4. The Indians ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Adrian Johnson (80)'s first ejection of 2018.
Adrian Johnson now has -1 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -1).
Crew Chief Marvin Hudson now has 1 point in Crew Division (1 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 1).
*This pitch was located 0.204 vertical inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 114th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is Minnesota's 4th ejection of 2018, T-2nd in the AL Central (CWS 7; KC, MIN 4; DET 3; CLE 1).
This is James Rowson's first career MLB ejection.
This is Adrian Johnson's first ejection since May 12, 2017 (Chase Headley; QOC = Y [Foul/HBP]).

Wrap: Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians, 8/9/18 | Video as follows:

Injury Scout - Dreckman's Moth Ear Canal Adventure

2B Umpire Bruce Dreckman ejected a moth from his left ear during Wednesday's Yankees-White Sox game in Chicago. In the 9th inning, Dreckman jogged toward the first base dugout and sought assistance from New York's training staff to evict the live insect from his ear canal as the game momentarily continued with three umpires.

During Dreckman's brief absence, 1B Umpire and Crew Chief Angel Hernandez and 3B Umpire Chad Fairchild shared field responsibilities while HP Umpire Mike Estabrook continued officiating behind home plate.

Dreckman returned moments later, missing just four pitches.

Relevant Injury History: None.

Last Game: August 8 | Return to Play: August 8 | Time Absent: Four Pitches  | Video as follows:

Plate Meeting Podcast Episode 2 - Dale Scott

Here is the second episode of The Plate Meeting, a LF Umpire Podcast from Close Call Sports, where we talk umpiring with umpires. In episode 2, Tmac and Gil are joined by 32-year major league and World Series umpire and Crew Chief Dale Scott, who retired from MLB ahead of the 2018 season. In this episode, Dale talks about his journey to the big leagues, tells some stories of a few notable events along the way, and answers your questions about his umpiring career.

Click the below "play" button to hear Episode 2 - Dale Scott, or visit the show online at https://anchor.fm/the-plate-meeting to subscribe. The Plate Meeting is also available through the iTunes store's podcasts section (The Plate Meeting on iTunes), Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and other podcast providers listed on the Anchor.fm page.



Additional Links, Videos, and Other Media:
The following section contains relevant links, footnotes, or additional commentary relative to subjects discussed on the show. Click the following links for this episode to access the relevant videos.

Donate/Store Buttons (2:30)	Support the UEFL	Shop the CCS Store.

Follow us on Twitter 🐦 (@UmpireEjections) and like on Facebook 👍 (/UmpireEjections).

Related Video #1 (21:30): Derek Jeter's fly to deep right field is ruled a HR in the 1996 ALCS.

Related Video #2 (39:00): Billy Martin's last ejection after Rick Reed's play at second base.

Related Post (1:05:00): Dale Scott Comes Out as Gay After Feature Article (12/2/14).

Related Video #3 (1:21:00): Russell Martin's throw hits Shin-Soo Choo's bat.
Related Post: Carefree Throw, Extended Bat, and Blue Jays Protest (10/14/15).
Related Post: MLB Ejection P-2|3: Carapazza, Scott (5, 2; Saunders, Buehrle) (10/14/15).

Related Video #4 (1:33:30): Bautista and Odor start a fight in the Texas middle infield.
Related Post: MLB Ejections 040-047 - Scott & Iassogna (TOR-TEX Fight) (5/15/16).

Related Video #5 (1:42:00): Overturned call on catch/trap in the outfield leads to Fredi's ejection.

Related Video #6 (2:05:30): Dale Scott's unique strike three mechanic (and an ejection to boot).

MLB Ejections 112-113 - Greg Gibson (3-4; WAS x2)

HP Umpire Greg Gibson ejected Nationals LF Juan Soto and Hitting Coach Kevin Long (strike three call from an earlier at-bat; QOCY). With none out and none on in the bottom of the 6th inning, Soto argued balls and strikes from an earlier at-bat with Gibson as he stepped into the batter's box, resulting in ejection. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Soto led off the frame by taking a 3-2 slider from Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and above the hollow of the knee (px .842, pz 1.602 [sz_bot 1.565]) and that all pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.*^' At the time of the ejections, the Braves were leading, 7-3. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

These are Greg Gibson (53)'s third and fourth ejections of 2018.
Greg Gibson now has 7 points in the UEFL Standings (3 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 7).
Crew Chief Jerry Layne now has 6 points in Crew Division (5 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 6).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*The strike three pitch was located 0.876 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
^UEFL Rule 6-2-b-5-b, formerly the DiMuro Rule, was eliminated during the 2015 UEFL Rules Summit to allow for QOCY/N determination regardless of when in the game the ejection occurred.

'Soto's ejection falls under both the leaving one's position to argue balls and strikes and reference to/contradiction of an earlier call Standards for Removal from the Game.

This is the 112th and 113th ejection report of the 2018 MLB regular season.
This is the 54th player ejection of 2018. Prior to ejection, Soto was 0-2 (SO) in the contest.
This is Washington's 5/6th ejection of 2018, 1st in the NL East (WAS 6; NYM 5; MIA 3; ATL 2; PHI 0).
This is Juan Soto's first career MLB ejection.
This is Kevin Long's 2nd ejection of 2018, 1st since July 23 (Nic Lentz; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Greg Gibson's 3/4th ejection of 2018, 1st since July 14 (Brandon Belt; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals, 8/8/18 | Video as follows: