MLB Ejection 057 - Gabe Morales (1; Dave Martinez)

HP Umpire Gabe Morales ejected Nationals manager Dave Martinez (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Nationals-#Reds game. With two out and one on (R1), Nationals batter Cesar Hernandez took a 1-2 slider from Reds pitcher Hunter Strickland for a called third strike. Replays indicate the 1-0 pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.80, pz 1.35 [sz_bot 1.54 / RAD 1.42 / MOE 1.33]) and the 1-2 pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.76, pz 1.47 [sz_bot 1.54 / RAD 1.42]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 10-7. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 10-8.

This is Gabe Morales (47)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Gabe Morales now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).

Crew Chief Andy Fletcher now has 2 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 2).

*The 1-0 pitch was located 0.24 and the 1-2 pitch was 1.69 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 57th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 29th manager ejection of 2022.

This is Washington's 3rd ejection of 2022, T-1st in the NL East (MIA, WAS 3; PHI 2; ATL, NYM 1).

This is Dave Martinez's 1st ejection since Sept 20, 2021 (Doug Eddings; QOC = Y-c [Run Lane INT]).

This is Gabe Morales' 1st ejection since July 10, 2021 (Craig Counsell; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds, 6/4/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 056 - Bruce Dreckman (1; Oliver Marmol)

HP Umpire Bruce Dreckman ejected Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (strike three call; QOCN) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Cardinals-#Cubs game. With two out and the bases loaded, Cardinals batter Tommy Edman took a 3-2 slider from Cubs pitcher Scott Effross for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -1.10, pz 2.71 [sz_top 3.24]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Cubs were leading, 5-1. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 6-1.

This is Bruce Dreckman (1)'s 1st ejection of 2022.

Bruce Dreckman now has -2 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Previous + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -2).

Crew Chief Paul Emmel now has 0 points in Crew Division (0 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 0).

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

This pitch was located 2.23 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 56th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 28th manager ejection of 2022.

This is St Louis' 3rd ejection of 2022, 2nd in the NL Central (CHC 4; STL 3; PIT 2; CIN, MIL 0).

This is Oliver Marmol's first career MLB ejection.

This is Bruce Dreckman's 1st ejection since June 30, 2019 (Kevin Cash; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs, 6/4/22 | Video as follows:

Ask UEFL - Angel in the Infield Fly & Intentional Drop?

Tmac answers two questions for the price of one in this Ask the UEFL infield fly and intentional drop rule double feature in a game between the Orioles and Cardinals with umpire Angel Hernandez behind the plate in St Louis. With none out and two on (R1, R2), Orioles batter Chris Owings' sacrifice bunt attempt goes horribly awry as the pitch from Nick Wittgren is bunted high into the air in front of the pitcher's mound.

Baltimore Pitcher Wittgren permits the batted ball to fall to the ground untouched before picking up the fair ball and throwing to third base to force out the lead runner, with third baseman Nolan Arenado throwing on to second base to force out R1 Robinson Chirinos.

The two-pronged question—why isn't this an infield fly and why isn't this an intentional drop—rely on two sections of the Official Baseball Rules. First, the Definition of Terms states, "An infield fly is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out."

OBR 5.09(a)(12) discusses intentional drops and states that the batter is out when "An infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first, second and third base occupied before two are out. The ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their original base or bases."

However, the pertinent part for this particular play is the following APPROVED RULING: "In this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly rule applies."

When HP Umpire Hernandez signals "safe," Angel is thus communicating two different, but related, no-calls: It is not an infield fly because it is an attempted bunt, and it is not an intentional drop because the fielder permitted the ball to drop untouched and the infield fly does not apply.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 055 - Vic Carapazza (1; Kevin Cash)

HP Umpire Vic Carapazza ejected Rays manager Kevin Cash (check swing) in the top of the 11th inning of the #Rays-#Rangers game. With one out and one on, Rays batter Ji-Man Choi attempted to check his swing on a 1-0 slider from Rangers pitcher Dennis Santana, ruled a swinging strike by HP Umpire Carapazza. This play is under review by the UEFL Appeals Board, the call was *PENDING*. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 3-3. The Rays ultimately won the contest, 4-3, in 11 innings.

This is Vic Carapazza (19)'s ejection of 2022.
Vic Carapazza now has X points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + X Call = X).
Crew Chief Jerry Meals now has X points in Crew Division (1 Previous + X Call = X).

This is the 55th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 27th manager ejection of 2022.

This is Tampa Bay's 3rd ejection of 2022, T-3rd in the AL East (TOR 5; NYY 4; BOS, TB 3; BAL 2).

This is Kevin Cash's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 22 (Bill Welke; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Vic Carapazza's 1st ejection since August 28, 2021 (Trent Grisham; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers, 6/1/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 054 - Mike Muchlinski (1; Mark Kotsay)

HP Umpire Mike Muchlinski ejected Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (ball two call; QOCN) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Astros-#Athletics game. With one out and none on, Astros batter Yordan Alvarez took a 1-2 fastball from A's pitcher AJ Puk for called second ball before being hit by a pitch two pitches later. Replays indicate the 1-2 pitch was located over the edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -0.67, pz 2.20), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the A's were leading, 3-1. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Mike Muchlinski (76)'s 1st ejection of 2022.
Mike Muchlinski now has -2 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -2).
Crew Chief CB Bucknor 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 0.94 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 54th ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 26th manager ejection of 2022.

This is Oakland's 2nd ejection of 2022, T-1st in the AL West (LAA, OAK, SEA 2; HOU, TEX 0).

This is Mark Kotsay's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since April 23 (Brian Knight; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

This is Mike Muchlinski's 1st ejection since Sept 12, 2019 (Chris Woodward; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics, 6/1/22 | Video as follows:

Call of the Month - May 2022

May 2022's Call of the Month takes us to Fenway Park, where 1B Umpire Greg Gibson officiates a tricky play at first base as multiple variables come together simultaneously to make an infield ground ball into a call challenged and confirmed via Replay Review.

The play begins with Red Sox batter JD Martinez hitting a ground ball up the middle, where Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña made a diving play to stop the ball before throwing to first baseman Yuli Gurriel as Martinez arrived at first base.

Boston challenged the call, alleging that Gurriel had pulled his foot, but as signaled by Gibson and confirmed by Replay, Gurriel kept his foot on the base and caught the ball prior to Martinez's arrival.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 053 - Lance Barrett (Julio Rodriguez)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Mariners CF Julio Rodriguez (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Mariners-#Orioles game. With one out and one on (R1), Mariners batter Rodriguez took a 2-2 fastball from Orioles pitcher Marcos Diplan for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and waist-high (px -0.71, pz 2.72) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Mariners were leading, 9-0. The Mariners ultimately won the contest, 10-0.

This is Lance Barrett (16)'s 2nd ejection of 2022.

Lance Barrett now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).

Crew Chief Dan Bellino now has 3 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 3).

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

This pitch was located 2.45 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 53rd ejection report of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 18th player ejection of 2022. Prior to ejection, Rodriguez was 1-5 (SO) in the contest.

This is Seattle's 2nd ejection of 2022, T-1st in the AL West (LAA, SEA 2; OAK 1; HOU, TEX 0).

This is Julio Rodriguez's 1st career MLB ejection.

This is Lance Barrett's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 10 (Charlie Montoyo; QOC = U [Warnings]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. Baltimore Orioles, 5/31/22 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 051-52 - Chris Segal (1-2; Machado, Melvin)

HP Umpire Chris Segal ejected Padres 3B Manny Machado and manager Bob Melvin (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Padres-#Cardinals game. With two out and none on, Padres batter Machado took a 2-2 sinker from Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright 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 0.57, pz 1.85 [sz_bot 1.76 / RAD 1.64]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were officiated properly, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 2-0. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 3-2, in 10 innings.

These are Chris Segal (96)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2022.

Chris Segal now has 8 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Previous + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 8).

Crew Chief Ted Barrett now has 5 points in Crew Division (3 Prev + 2 Correct Calls = 5).

*This pitch was located 3.55 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 51st and 52nd ejections of the 2022 MLB regular season.

This is the 25th manager ejection of 2022.

This is San Diego's 2/3rd ejection of 2022, T-1st in the NL West (ARI, SD 3; LAD, SF 1; COL 0).

This is Manny Machado's 1st ejection since August 20, 2021 (Doug Eddings; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Bob Melvin's 2nd ejection of 2022, 1st since May 1 (Jeremie Rehak; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Chris Segal's 1st ejection since July 31, 2021 (Eugenio Suarez; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Diego Padres vs. St Louis Cardinals, 5/31/22 | Video as follows:

Teachable - Trust Your Eyes on Tag Plays

3B Umpire Ryan Blakney called Diamondbacks baserunner Jordan Luplow safe at third base on a close tag play, despite video replay suggesting Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon's glove swiped across the infield edge of third base prior to Luplow's arrival.

In this Teachable, tmac talks about trusting one's eyes on tag plays, noting that Blakney's safe call was confirmed after Rockies manager Bud Black's challenge because slow-motion video conclusively showed that McMahon's tag attempt was so early that it missed making contact with Luplow's hands entirely until Luplow was already on the base.

Officiating a steal play, Blakney gets into position and—key to officiating—gets set with eyes steady and ready to see the missed tag. Despite the optics of the fielder clearly appearing to tag the runner before the runner's arrival—the ball beat the runner, as it were—Blakney trusts his eyes, which observed a missed tag, and in doing so makes the proper safe call that was confirmed after review.

Video as follows:

Injury Scout - John Tumpane Leaves Boston After Foul

HP Umpire John Tumpane left Monday's #Orioles-#RedSox game in Boston after a foul ball to the mask.

In the top of the 7th inning, with none out and two on, Orioles batter Ryan Mountcastle fouled a 95.8-mph fastball from Red Sox pitcher Ryan Brasier into Tumpane's traditional-style facemask, resulting in Tumpane leaving the game; Tumpane had been hit in the mask the prior inning as well.

The game resumed with three umpires as 2B Umpire Adrian Johnson took over behind home plate while 1B Umpire and Crew Chief Marvin Hudson and 3B Umpire Ryan Blakney stayed in the field.

Relevant Injury History: There is no prior recorded game-ending back injury.

Last Game: May 30 | Return to Play: June 17 | Time Absent: 19 Days | Video as follows: