Red Sox Protest Rays' Pitcher Substitution, DH Termination

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora protested Rays skipper Kevin Cash's pitcher substitution and designated hitter termination in Tampa Bay, bringing Chief Angel Hernandez and his umpire crew together for a lengthy delay upon which the umpires ultimately ruled the DH transaction legal.

For reasons we will discuss below, the umpires did get this play right: we will read Cora's assertion that two pitchers may not be on the field while a DH is in the dugout, but we will also explain that no such rule exists as that alluded to by Cora, and that Tampa did not illegally keep a DH if for no other reason than Tampa was the defensive team and did not have a chance to bat prior to Cora's protest.

We will discuss what rules are involved and what moves were made. Turn your Official Baseball Rules books to Rules 5.10 (Substitution), 5.11 (The Designated Hitter), and 6.03 (Batting Out of Turn).

MLB Ejection 134 - Dan Iassogna (2; Cody Bellinger)

HP Umpire Dan Iassogna ejected Dodgers RF Cody Bellinger (strike two call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Angels-Dodgers game. With none out and one on (R1), Bellinger took 1-0, 1-1, and 1-2 fastballs from Angels pitcher Cam Bedrosian for called first, second, and third strikes. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch, ruled strike two, was located off the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -1.06, pz 2.32), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Angels were leading, 3-2. The Angels ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Dan Iassogna (58)'s second ejection of 2019.
Dan Iassogna now has 0 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 0).
Crew Chief Sam Holbrook now has 8 points in Crew Division (8 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 8).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 1.76 horizontal inches from being deemed a correct call.

This is the 134th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 59th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Bellinger was 0-3 (SO) in the contest.
This is Los Angeles' 3rd ejection of 2019, T-3rd in the NL West (SD, SF 5; ARI, COL, LAD 3).
This is Cody Bellinger's first career MLB ejection.
This is Dan Iassogna's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since July 17 (Marcus Stroman; QOC = Y-c [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7/24/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 133 - John Libka (1; Kyle Freeland)

HP Umpire John Libka ejected Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland (strike one call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the Rockies-Nationals game. With one out and one on (R1), Rockies batter Chris Iannetta took a first-pitch fastball from Nationals pitcher Tanner Rainey for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.11, pz 1.57 [sz_bot 1.60 / RAD 1.48]), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 1-0. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 2-0.

This is John Libka (84)'s first ejection of 2019.
John Libka now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 3).
Crew Chief Jerry Meals now has -3 points in Crew Division (-4 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -3).
*This pitch was located 0.6 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 133rd ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 58th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Freeland's line was 6.0 IP, R.
This is Colorado's 3rd ejection of 2019, T-3rd in the NL West (SD, SF 5; ARI, COL 3; LAD 2).
This is Kyle Freeland's first career MLB ejection.
This is John Libka's 1st ejection since July 6, 2017 (Marwin Gonzalez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Colorado Rockies (2), 7/24/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 132 - Jordan Baker (2; Anthony Rizzo)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo (strike two call; QOCY) in the top of the 5th inning of the Cubs-Giants game. With two out and none on, Rizzo took a 3-1 fastball from Giants pitcher Tyler Beede for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -0.87, pz 2.48) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, Cubs were leading, 4-1. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 4-1.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s second ejection of 2019.
Jordan Baker now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 3).
Crew Chief Marvin Hudson now has 2 points in Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 2).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
This pitch was located 0.53 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 132nd ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 57th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Rizzo was 1-3 (SO) in the contest.
This is Chicago's 5th ejection of 2019, T-3rd in the NL Central (CIN 15; MIL 6; CHC, PIT 5; STL 3).
This is Anthony Rizzo's 1st ejection since June 1, 2014 (Jerry Meals; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Jordan Baker's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since July 15 (Yasmani Grandal; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants, 7/24/19 | Video as follows:

ZoneCheck - Twins' Ump De Jesus' Ball 4 Call

When home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus ejected Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli Tuesday night after pitcher Tyler Duffey's 3-2 slider to Yankees batter Luke Voit was called ball four, Minnesota TV audiences saw a graphic suggesting the ump's call was in error...but in the end, it was FoxTrax that was wrong and the umpire that was correct.

Our new feature ZoneCheck examines borderline ball/strike calls at the bottom or top of the strike zone (sz_bot or sz_top values) hours after the controversial call is made, after MLBAM has had time to process the individual pitch and batter strike zones involved.

Executive Summary: MLB's technology is presently unable to adjust the vertical values of each batter's strike zone in realtime, so what MLBAM does for the purposes of graphic representation (PitchCast, and thus, FoxTrax, ESPN K-Zone, Gameday, etc.) is insert placeholder values for each batter's typical or average strike zone (placeholder sz_bot or sz_top). After the game is over, overnight processing of the data replaces these placeholder values with actual observed values from the game. On borderline pitches near the bottom or top of the strike zone, this sometimes has the effect of changing the umpire's Quality of Correctness—generally from "incorrect" or borderline (in realtime) to "correct" (post-processed), as umpires generally do adjust in realtime to variable batter height, while the computer does not.
Related Post: Podcast - Truth About Baseball's Electronic Strike Zone (6/5/19).

Baldelli and De Jesus disagree about ball four.

Prior Example: We've discussed the fallibility of MLB's PitchCast (visual) system and its susceptibility to error relating to the vertical strike zone before, and we saw an example of this error earlier in 2019 when Ron Kulpa ejected Astros coach Alex Cintron and Manager AJ Hinch over a strike one call on April 3 that the PitchCast graphics application initially depicted as an incorrect call.

A day after the game, MLBAM's routine postgame processing changed the value of the bottom of Astros batter Tyler White's strike zone, turning Kulpa's previously incorrect call into a correct one.
Related Post: MLB Ejections 007-08 - Ron Kulpa (1-2; Cintron, Hinch) (4/3/19).
Related Post: Podcast Minisode 13M - AJ Hinch's Mea Ron Kulpa (4/4/19).
Related Post: Bad Computer Umpire - Faulty Pitch Data Defames Kulpa (4/6/19).

A Mea Culpa for Ron Kulpa in April 2019.

Sidebar for Fairness and Objectivity, Gil's Call: As is usually the case, this broadcast-first system at the expense of accuracy tends to paint the umpire in the light of "he's wrong" in front of thousands while only a handful of people will actually follow up the next day and figure out that MLBAM had it wrong during the game, and that the umpire's call was actually correct.

That's why we're starting ZoneCheck, to hold the robots just as accountable as we hold the umpires whom they grade.

For the number-oriented folks amongst us, the Astros postgame processing broke down thusly:
Real-Time (in Game) Values, Kulpa's Strike 1 Call: px 0.2, pz 1.23 (sz_bot 1.51 / RAD 1.39).
Post-Game Processed (Corrected) Values: px 0.2, pz 1.23 (sz_bot 1.34 / RAD 1.22).
Net Change: sz_bot decreased by 0.17 feet (2.04 inches), changing QOC from incorrect to correct.

Back to Target Field: A similar situation occurred in regard to Luke Voit's at-bat in Minnesota, on a ball four call from HP Umpire Ramon De Jesus. During the game, FoxTrax graphics—fed by PitchCast—led us to believe the pitch was located in borderline-strike territory. After the game when MLBAM corrected its numbers, as was the case with Kulpa in Houston, the batter's strike zone changed to such a degree as to solidify the umpire's realtime on-field ruling as correct.
Related Post: MLB Ejections 130-131 - Ramon De Jesus (1-2; MIN) (7/23/19).

Real-Time (in Game) Values, De Jesus' Ball 4 Call: px 0.6, pz 1.71 (sz_bot 1.75 / RAD 1.62).
Post-Game Processed (Corrected) Values: px 0.6, pz 1.71 (sz_bot 1.88 / RAD 1.76).
Net Change: sz_bot increased by 0.12 feet (1.44 inches); De Jesus' QOC = Correct.

MLB Ejections 130-131 - Ramon De Jesus (1-2; MIN)

HP Umpire Ramon De Jesus ejected Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli (ball four call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th and Hitting Coach James Rowson (strike one call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the Yankees-Twins game. In the 8th, with two out and none on, Yankees batter Luke Voit took a 3-2 slider from Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey for a called fourth ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px 0.60, pz 1.71 [sz_bot 1.88 {raw/unprocessed sz_bot 1.75}]) and that all pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of Baldelli's ejection, the Twins were leading, 9-8.

In the 9th, with none out and none on, Twins batter Ehire Adrianza took a 2-0 fastball from Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and at the midpoint (px 0.39, pz 3.35 [sz-top 3.23 / RAD 3.35]), the call was correct.^ At the time of Rowson's ejection, the Yankees were leading, 12-11. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 14-12, in 10 innings.

These are Ramon De Jesus (18)'s first and second ejections of 2019.
Ramon De Jesus now has 10 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2*[2 AAA + 2 QOCY] = 10).
Crew Chief Larry Vanover now has 8 points in Crew Division (6 Previous + 2*[1 Correct Call] = 8).
*The 3-2 to Voit was located 1.56 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
^The 2-0 to Adrianza was located 0.996 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
> Includes post-game processing figure for the 3-2 pitch to Voit (increased correctness value).

These are the 130th and 131st ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 68th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Minnesota's 2/3rd ejection of 2019, 4th in the AL Central (DET 9; CWS, KC 7; MIN 3; CLE 1).
This is Rocco Baldelli's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 15 (Mike Estabrook; QOC = Y [HBP/Foul]).
This is James Rowson's 1st ejection since August 9, 2018 (Adrian Johnson; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Ramon De Jesus' 1st ejection since August 24, 2018 (Dale Sveum; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins, 7/23/19 | Video as follows:

Riding the Dusty Rhodes - Failing the Kids

When Haywood High School declined to "add any extra games" to 2019 baseball head coach Jeff "Dusty" Rhodes' two-game suspension for his two-plus minute post-ejection tirade at an umpire during the Tennessee State tournament, principal Latonya Jackson's (in)action added to a critical chain of events that ultimately harmed student-athletes in western Tennessee.

What happened and how did the kids get left out in the cold?

Summary: After first-year Haywood HS coach Rhodes was ejected arguing an illegal pitch ruling during a state tournament game, he kicked at the umpire and purportedly made physical contact with the game official as he followed the umpire and continued to yell at him as portrayed in a popular two-minute video of the incident.
Related Post: TSSAA Sends Message After Coach's Ump Kick (5/31/19).

TSSAA punished the school after misconduct.

Afterward, the school announced it would not discipline Rhodes beyond the minimum penalty prescribed in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA)'s constitution, which led TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress to issue more severe sanctions against Haywood HS itself, as the TSSAA handbook prohibits the state from punishing coaches beyond the minimum penalty; the book is written to empower schools to discipline their own employees. Meanwhile, TSSAA is authorized to punish the violative schools and programs for the actions of employees and coaches, as well as for a failure to address instances of misconduct. Haywood High School appealed the penalty and the West Tennessee TSSAA Board of Control upheld Childress' sanctions, which include a two-year postseason ban for the Haywood HS baseball team.
Related Post: Update - TSSAA Upholds Haywood Penalty (7/21/19).

What happened this season in Tennessee is the result of a series of events.
1) The TSSAA constitution is written to prohibit TSSAA from supplemental discipline of coaches.
2) Haywood HS hires a previously-fired coach who engages in a severe instance of misconduct.
3) Haywood HS fails to discipline said coach adequately for the aforementioned incident.
4) TSSAA, due to rule restriction, issues supplemental discipline to school program.

TSSAA found Haywood's penalty insufficient.

Video Analysis: As the following video indicates, this hurts the students in Tennessee, but who is primarily responsible? The obvious answer is Rhodes, through his on-field actions (though he did attempt to blame the umpire). Another potential candidate is TSSAA, for issuing a penalty barring the team from the 2020/2021 playoffs. Yet, ultimately, as this video illustrates, the primary failure lies with Haywood High School for failing to discipline Rhodes adequately, leaving TSSAA no choice but to issue harsh sanctions that—pursuant to bylaws that the schools themselves write—affected the program and not the coach, who may very well leave Haywood for another school, just as he left Hardin County HS the year before, and several years after he was fired by the Decatur County Board of Education (where, oddly enough, he appears to serve as a board-member).

ALPB - Inconsistent TrackMan Use Riles Coaches

Since Frank Viola's notable ejection arguing TrackMan's Automated Ball/Strike System in Game 1 of the electronic strike zone experiment, umpires have ejected other Atlantic League managers over balls/strikes concerns.

According to the ALPB / MLB joint press release July 11, 2019, the 2019 Atlantic League Championship Season was to feature new experimental playing rules, including, "Home plate umpire assisted by radar tracking system and an MLB-defined strike zone."

Despite ALPB's efforts, while TrackMan's ABS wasn't ready Opening Day and doesn't appear to be fully functional for the season's second half, either, inaugural TrackMan ejectee Frank Viola sounded off on the electronic strike zone, accusing its handlers of failing to measure players before implementing strike zones on their behalf. Meanwhile, other coaches have been ejected in the new ABS era, with or without the technology in use.

Video reveals two more post-ABS ejections.

New Britain Ejection: New Britain's stadium reportedly hasn't yet used ABS, as York Revolution Manager Mark Mason discovered when he was ejected by HP Umpire William Best following a strike call against Bees batter Isais Tejada in the top of the 7th inning of July 21's Revolution-Bees game in New Britain. York, of course, does have ABS installed.

Somerset Ejection: Another stadium that has seen TrackMan in testing is Somerset's TD Bank Ballpark. On July 16, HP Umpire Matt Criss ejected Patriots RF Justin Pacchioli and Manager Brett Jodie after a strike two ruling in the 6th inning. This would seem to indicate there might be a hiccup or two pertaining to the institution of the automated ball/strike system across the Atlantic League.

MLB Ejection 129 - Mark Ripperger (2; Kevin Pillar)

HP Umpire Mark Ripperger ejected Giants CF Kevin Pillar (strike two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Mets-Giants game. With two out and one on (R1), Pillar took a 1-1 curveball from Mets pitcher Seth Lugo for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and below the midpoint (px -0.2, pz 3.31 [sz_top 3.32]) [strike one is prohibited from consideration pursuant to league rule, decided 2013], the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 2-2. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 3-2, in 12 innings.

This is Mark Ripperger (90)'s second ejection of 2019.
Mark Ripperger now has 7 points in the UEFL Standings (3 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 7).
Crew Chief Brian O'Nora now has 5 points in Crew Division (4 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 5).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*The pitch under QOC consideration is the 1-1 pitch ruled strike two. This is due to UEFL Rule 6-5-c-5-c, as approved by the UEFL membership during the 2013 UEFL Rules Summit concerning the rule's language of, "realistically resulted in a different outcome of the individual at-bat." If you disagree with this regulation, please ACTUALLY SHOW UP TO VOTE in the postseason Rules Summit.
This pitch was located 2.6 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 129th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 56th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Pillar was 0-4 (SO) in the contest.
This is San Francisco's 5th ejection of 2019, T-1st in the NL West (SD, SF 5; ARI 3; COL, LAD 2).
This is Kevin Pillar's 1st ejection since August 22, 2017 (Chad Fairchild; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Mark Ripperger's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since June 29 (Ron Gardenhire; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants, 7/21/19 | Video as follows:

Update - TSSAA Upholds Haywood Penalty

Having barred Haywood High School Baseball from the 2020 and 2021 postseasons after head coach Jeff 'Dusty' Rhodes' on-field hysterics complete with kicking at and physically berating an umpire after a balk call, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) entertained an appeal from Haywood HS that the penalty was too harsh.

After Rhodes' exorbitantly unsportsmanlike ejection in May, TSSAA initially referred the matter to Haywood HS to afford the school an opportunity to address its coach's conduct via supplemental discipline. The school responded by proposing a two-game suspension and $250 fines for Rhodes and assistant coach Alex Whitwell.

Rhodes pursued several umpires after the call.

Despite deeming these penalties inadequate, TSSAA noted that its bylaws prohibit the association from suspending school employees, but do allow TSSAA to punish programs. As such, the state association banned the team from two postseasons and institute a two-year probation, citing Haywood principal Latonya Jackson's inadequate response in issuing an underwhelming two-game suspension to Rhodes.

TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress wrote about this strong decision: "The administration was given ample opportunity to address this unfortunate incident but chose to only enforce what the bylaws require. Principals and coaches must realize that they have more responsibilities than the general public to understand the purpose of high school athletics and the principals behind the TSSAA rules, and they must maintain that level of understanding and purpose when dealing with the general public and students."
Related Post: TSSAA Sends Message After Coach's Ump Kick (5/31/19).

Haywood appealed that TSSAA's penalty was unfair, and now the West Tennessee TSSAA Board of Control has ruled on the school's appeal: Denied, Sanctions Upheld. TSSAA wrote that Rhodes' behavior is "not appropriate at the high school level," while the umpire's ejection report conflicted with Rhodes' initial statement that he was "never confined to the dugout or warned by the umpire." The game report indicated Rhodes had been restricted to the dugout. And now the team has been restricted from the 2020 and 2021 postseason.

Video of Ejection as follows: