MLB Ejections 092-94 - Welke, Everitt (SD)

HP Umpire Bill Welke ejected Padres SS Manny Machado (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 5th, 3B Umpire Mike Everitt ejected Padres bench player/pitcher Matt Strahm (ineligible post-AB ball call; QOCU) and Welke ejected Manager Andy Green (arguing Strahm's ejection; QOCU) in the bottom of the 6th inning of the Padres-Rockies game. In the 5th, with one out and one on (R1), Machado took a 1-2 fastball from Rockies pitcher German Marquez for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and knee-high (px 0.88, pz 2.09), the call was correct.* At the time of Machado's ejection, the Rockies were leading, 7-4.

In the 6th, with none out and none on, Rockies batter Tony Wolters lined out to Padres center fielder Wil Myers following an earlier 0-1 fastball, ruled ball one. Replays indicate the 0-1 pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.84, pz 2.83), the call was irrecusable.^ At the time of Strahm and Green's ejections, the Rockies were leading, 11-7. The Rockies ultimately won the contest, 14-8.

These are Bill Welke (3)'s second and third ejections of 2019.
This is Mike Everitt (57)'s second ejection of 2019.
Bill Welke now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (-2 Prev + 4 MLB + 2 QOCY + 0 QOCU = 4).
Mike Everitt now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (3 Prev + 2 MLB + 0 Irrecusable = 5).
Crew Chief Mike Everitt now has 2 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 QOCY + 2 QOCU = 2).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*Strike 3 to Machado was located 0.408 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
^UEFL Rule 6-5-c prohibits QOCY/N adjudication for a post-AB ejection pertaining to a pitch during the at-bat that did not realistically result in a different outcome of the at-bat.

These are the 92nd, 93rd, and 94th ejection reports of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 38th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Machado was 2-3 (SO) in the contest.
This is the 39th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Strahm did not appear in the game.
This is the 49th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is San Diego's 3/4/5th ejection of 2019, 1st in the NL West (SD 5; SF 4; COL 3; ARI, LAD 1).
This is Manny Machado's 1st ejection since June 7, 2016 (Fieldin Culbreth; QOC = U [Fighting]).
This is Matt Strahm's first career MLB ejection.
This is Andy Green's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 2 (Bill Welke; QOC = N [BR INT]).
This is Bill Welke's 2/3rd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 2 (Andy Green; QOC = N [BR INT]).
This is Mike Everitt's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since May 26 (Scott Servais; QOC = Y-c [Replay]).

Wrap: San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies, 6/15/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 090-91 - Phil Cuzzi (2-3; CWS)

HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected White Sox catcher Welington Castillo and Manager Rick Renteria (ball three call; QOCY) in the top of the 8th inning of the Yankees-White Sox game. With none out and one on (R1), Yankees batter Clint Frazier took a 2-1 fastball from White Sox pitcher Thyago Vieira for a called third ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -0.83, pz 2.58) and all other pitches during the inning were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Yankees were leading, 7-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 8-4.

These are Phil Cuzzi (10)'s second and third ejections of 2019.
Phil Cuzzi now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Phil Cuzzi now has -1 points in Crew Division (-2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -1).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*This pitch was located 0.984 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

These are the 90th and 91st ejection reports of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 37th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Castillo was 0-3 (3 SO) in the contest.
This is the 48th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Chicago's 5/6th ejection of 2019, T-1st in the AL Central (CWS, DET, KC 6; CLE, MIN 1).
This is Welington Castillo's 1st ejection since Sept 9, 2016 (Dale Scott; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Rick Renteria's 4th ejection of 2019, 1st since May 7 (Marty Foster; QOC = N [Check Swing]).
This is Phil Cuzzi's 2/3rd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 10 (Kevan Smith; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox, 6/15/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 089 - Carlos Torres (1; Scott Servais)

HP Umpire Carlos Torres ejected Mariners Manager Scott Servais (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 4th inning of the Mariners-Athletics game. With one out and one on (R1), Mariners batter Kyle Seager took a 3-2 slider from A's pitcher Frankie Montas for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.07, pz 1.38 [sz_bot 1.54 / RAD 1.417 / MOE 1.334]) and that all other pitches during the inning were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Athletics were leading, 4-1. The Athletics ultimately won the contest, 11-2.

This is Carlos Torres (37)'s second ejection of 2019.
Carlos Torres now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).
Crew Chief Dana DeMuth now has 0 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 0).
*This pitch was located 0.552 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 89th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 47th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Seattle's 2nd ejection of 2019, T-3rd in the AL West (OAK 6; LAA 3; HOU, SEA 2; TEX 1).
This is Scott Servais' 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since May 26 (Mike Everitt; QOC = Y-c [Replay]).
This is Carlos Torres' 1st ejection since June 27, 2018 (Joey Votto; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics, 6/15/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 088 - Manny Gonzalez (1; Ron Gardenhire)

HP Umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected Tigers Manager Ron Gardenhire (ball one call; QOCY) in the top of the 6th inning of the Indians-Tigers game. With one out and one on (R1), Indians batter Oscar Mercado took a first-pitch cutter from Tigers pitcher Nick Ramirez for a called first ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px -0.95, pz 1.51 [sz_bot 1.65]) and that all other pitches during the inning were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Indians were leading, 2-0. The Indians ultimately won the contest, 4-2.

This is Manny Gonzalez (79)'s first ejection of 2019.
Manny Gonzalez now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Sam Holbrook now has 7 points in Crew Division (6 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 7).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*This pitch was located 2.424 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 88th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 46th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Detroit's 6th ejection of 2019, 1st in the AL Central (KC, DET 6; CWS 4; CLE, MIN 1).
This is Ron Gardenhire's 5th ejection of 2019, 1st since June 7 (James Hoye; QOC = Y [Balk]).
This is Manny Gonzalez's first ejection since May 30, 2016 (Terry Francona; QOC = N [RLI]).

Wrap: Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers, 6/15/19 | Video as follows:

Rules Reminder - Safe Passage When Base Dislodged

Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar successfully stole second base in San Francisco when his forceful slide dislodged the bag, ruled safe by 2B Umpire Chad Fairchild as Brewers SS Orlando Arcia tagged Pillar while not in contact with the bag, confirmed via Replay Review following a challenge by Brewers Manager Craig Counsell.

This Rules Review reminds umpires that runners are to be ruled safe if a base is knocked off its moorings during the course of play, assuming that the runner initially arrived safely.

Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(4) states that "A runner is out when—He is tagged, when the ball is alive, while off his base," but note the following approved ruling: "If the impact of a runner breaks a base loose from its position, no play can be made on that runner at that base if he had reached the base safely."

Had there been a following runner, the matter would fall into umpire judgment as to whether the following runner "touches or occupies the point marked by the dislodged bag."

Thus, with Pillar appearing to slide well past the dislodged base's proper location, the approved ruling protects him—the action runner—from being put out due to his impact that caused the base to come loose; even though Pillar slid past the base, because it became dislodged during his slide, he cannot be put out at that base as a result of that action.

However, if Pillar continued to advance toward third (he, of course could be put out in that situation via a tag), any following runner would be required to slide to the point marked by the dislodged bag.

NOTE: The base is defined in the book as a 15-inch square (or, for home base, a 17-inch square slab with two corners removed so that one edge is 17 inches long, two adjacent sides 8.5 inches, and the remaining two sides 12 inches and set at angle to make a point), four of which set in a 90-foot square comprise the infield, but a bag is defined as the physical whitened rubber cuboid that marks where the base is.

Put another way, "First, second and third bases shall be marked by white canvas or rubber-covered bags, securely attached to the ground as indicated in Diagram 2" (OBR 2.03).

Thus, the following runner would slide to the "point marked by the dislodged bag."

Q: What is the point marked by the dislodged bag also known as? A: The base.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 087 - H Wendelstedt (2; Jorge Soler)

HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Royals RF Jorge Soler (strike one call; QOCN) in the top of the 5th inning of the Royals-Twins game. With none out and none on, Soler took a first-pitch fastball from Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px 0.06, pz 1.40 [sz_bot 1.72 / RAD 1.597 / MOE 1.514]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 2-0.

This is Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s second ejection of 2019.
Hunter Wendelstedt now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (7 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 5).
Crew Chief Angel Hernandez now has 3 points in Crew Division (3 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 3).
*Soler's historical sz_bot has varied from 1.70 to 1.85. The reason this ejection is QOCN and is not pending post-game adjustment is that, for QOC to be Correct, the processed sz_bot value would need to be 1.61 or less. Soler has never had such a low sz_bot in his MLB career. Soler's placeholder sz_bot value is 1.72.
*This pitch was located 1.368 vertical inches from being deemed a correct call.

This is the 87th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 36th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Soler was 0-1 (SO) in the contest.
This is Kansas City's 6th ejection of 2019, 1st in the AL Central (KC 6, DET 5; CWS 4; CLE, MIN 1).
This is Jorge Soler's first career MLB ejection.
This is Hunter Wendelstedt's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since May 11 (Ron Gardenhire; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins, 6/14/19 | Video as follows:

Injury Scout - Jim Wolf's Early Exit in Detroit

3B Umpire Jim Wolf departed Friday's Indians-Tigers game in Detroit during the first inning for an undisclosed reason.

Wolf exited the field between the top and bottom of the 1st, shaking hands with Tigers 3B Coach Dave Clark as a quick hi-bye while walking off the field. FOX Sports Detroit broadcasters Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson noted that Wolf appeared to walk with a limp on his way off the field.

2B Umpire Sam Holbrook shifted to the third base position in Wolf's absence, with 1B Umpire Manny Gonzalez and HP Umpire Dan Iassogna remaining in their original spots to round out the three-umpire crew.

Relevant Injury History: None, although Wolf left a game on May 31, 2019 after a hit to the head.
Related Post: Injury Scout - Jim Wolf Leaves in Arizona (5/31/19).

Last Game: June 14 | Return to Play: June 25 | Time Absent: 10 Days | Video as follows:

Video Call - Why Fans Hate Angel Hernandez

We're going to add more content to the CloseCallSports YouTube channel and we begin with Gil's Call, a video essay on the topic of why the MLB fandom seems to hate umpire Angel Hernandez and it has everything to do with the injection of social issues—discrimination, race, etc.—into the baseball world where fans go to get away from, not learn about, the real world, and themselves.

This discussion traces back the recent history of how Angel Hernandez has become the most controversial umpire in MLB. The actual data indicate he is a decent umpire, yet his lawsuit against baseball has all but assured a nosedive to his reputation.

The video explores why the vitriol against Hernandez is so significant and why it has everything to do with the introduction of social issues in his suit alleging race-based discrimination, social issues that most people seek to escape from when engaging in the realm of sports. And, of course, the natural tendency to push against an umpire when umpires aren't supposed to fight back.

Make sure you subscribe to CloseCallSports on YouTube for more CCS video content.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 086 - Tripp Gibson (1; Brian Snitker)

HP Umpire Tripp Gibson ejected Braves Manager Brian Snitker (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the Pirates-Braves game. With two out and two on (R1, R3), Braves batter Ronald Acuna took a 0-2 fastball from Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the midpoint (px 0.22, pz 3.75 [sz_top 3.54 / RAD 3.67 / MOE 3.75]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 2-1. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 6-5.

This is Tripp Gibson (73)'s first ejection of 2019.
Tripp Gibson now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).
Crew Chief Brian Gorman now has 8 points in Crew Division (7 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 8).
*This ruling was pending post-game adjustment of the vertical strike zone. Acuna's historical sz_top has varied from 3.47 to 3.59. If the processed sz_top value is 3.54 or greater, QOC will be correct. Acuna's placeholder value is sz_bot 3.51.
Update, 6/14: MLB adjusted Acuna's sz_top for this pitch to 3.54, which makes this call correct.

This is the 86th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 45th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Atlanta's 5th ejection of 2019, 1st in the NL East (ATL 5; WAS 4; NYM 3; MIA, PHI 1).
This is Brian Snitker's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 11 (Dan Bellino; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).
This is Tripp Gibson's first ejection since Sept 15, 2018 (Clint Hurdle; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, 6/13/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 085 - Lance Barrett (1; Turner Ward)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Reds Hitting Coach Turner Ward (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 2nd inning of the Reds-Indians game. With one out and none on, Reds batter Jose Iglesias took a 0-2 fastball from Indians pitcher Zach Plesac for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px 0.60, pz 1.28 [sz_bot 1.24]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading, 2-0. The Reds ultimately won the contest, 7-2.

This is Lance Barrett (94)'s first ejection of 2019.
Lance Barrett now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 3).
Crew Chief Mike Everitt now has -1 points in Crew Division (-2 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -1).
*This pitch was located 1.99 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
*This call provides yet another example of MLB's deficient computer strike zone because the pitch numbers reported during the game suggested the call was incorrect, whereas the numbers generated following post-game processing to correct for vertical strike zone error changed so significantly that this call's QOC changed from QOCN using the real-time preliminary (raw) data to QOCY using the morning-after (corrected) data. MLBAM changed the numbers by 4.56 inches during data correction.
> During the game, MLB reported the strike zone data as: sz_bot 1.51.
> Following the game, the strike zone bottom was changed to: sz_bot 1.24.

This is the 85th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is Cincinnati's 9th ejection of 2019, 1st in the NL Central (CIN 9; MIL, PIT 5; CHC, STL 2).
This is Turner Ward's first ejection since July 22, 2015 (Vic Carapazza; QOC = U [Warnings]).
This is Lance Barrett's first ejection since Sept 9, 2018 (Mike Shildt; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians, 6/12/19 | Video as follows: