HP Umpire Marty Foster ejected Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle for arguing a swinging strike call in the bottom of the 4th inning of the Tigers-Pirates game. With one out and none on, Pirates batter Casey McGehee was ruled to have swung on a 2-2 curveball from Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander for a third strike. Replays indicate that McGehee unsuccessfully checked his swing, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 2-0. The Tigers ultimately won the contest, 3-2.
This is Marty Foster's (60)'s fourth ejection of 2012.
Marty Foster now has 2 points in the UEFL (-2 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 2).
Crew Chief Jeff Kellogg now has 2 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 2).
UEFL Standings Update
This is the 76th ejection of 2012.
This is the 38th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Pirates' 3rd ejection of 2012, 2nd in the NL Central (HOU 4, CHC 3, STL 2).
This is Clint Hurdle's second ejection and first since May 2nd (Angel Campos; QOC = Correct).
This is Marty Foster's first ejection since May 26th (Henderson Alvarez QOC = Irrecusable).
Wrap: Tigers at Pirates 6/24/12
Video: Foster rules a swing; Hurdle argues and is quickly ejected by Marty Foster
UEFL Video
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20 comments :
Check swing, you gotta go. Remember Jocko Conlan's quote, there is no such thing as a half swing because there is no such thing as a half strike. Hall of fame material, that.
Like how the MLB video starts AFTER the check swing attempt? Great editing which might lead some people to believe the call was so egregiously missed, MLB is orchestrating another cover-up. I hope the UEFL comes out with a video of this as it appears the pros don't want us to see this call.
Thanks for the video guys, very great angle at the end - a good learning tool Room Service!
Years ago, Bill Hohn ejected several players and both managers Ron Washington and Mike Scioscia during a Rangers vs Angels game when he had the plate. To my recollection, most of his ejections that day were about him not going to Dale Scott at third base for help on some check swing calls, both ways. Hopefully Foster doesn't turn into pre-2011 Bill Hohn, that would be awfully bad.
Foster has been a candidtate for worst umpire of the year but the UEFL video looks to be fairly conclusive that the correct call was made.... Good on ya Foster!!
I'm telling you just ask him!
I was watching this game live at PNC Park, and during this whole event two things were going through my head.
1: How do you get to the MLB level and not know that you can't get an appeal if the plate umpire rules it a swing?
2: Why would you get ejected over something this inconsequential? I mean, okay, it's Verlander and you need to make every out count, but seriously. It's only the fourth inning, there's no one on base, it's not even the third out. It didn't even fire up the crowd all that much.
The announcers on the MLB video (presumably Pittsburgh) are idiotic (surprise, surprise) in that they can't figure out why Hurdle was thrown out so quickly. Duh.
I guess the Pirates announcers haven't learned that a manager can't come out to argue balls and strikes. Easy ejection.
It wasn't ball and strikes....the call was already made and the out recorded...Hurdle, or any manager, has to protect his players from getting thrown out. McGehee was more animated and passionate than Hurdle was prior to the ejection. I'm not sure what Hurdle said, but between the half gay hook this goon umpire gave him, and the fact Hurdle didn't even get that jacked after he did it, makes me think that this guy is power hungry.
From the look of several other sites, this isn't the first time this guy has had his sunglasses up his pocket, and his thumb in the air, so put him in the same league as Jerry Meals, as A League umpire at best, and move on.
Hate to go off on a tangent here, but I've always wondered something, and this seems as good a time as any to bring it up... How is this (or any other similar situation) the manager protecting his player? Sure, it was at first. Hurdle gets out there and gets McGehee away from Foster and into the dugout. But how is Hurdle continuing to argue in any way protecting McGehee from getting thrown out? If Hurdle had simply walked McGehee back into the dugout instead of continuing the argument we have no ejection at all, yet this is somehow "protecting" the player?
He's fine when he's getting his player out of there. As soon as he refers to balls and strikes, which I'm sure he did, he gets ejected. What's so hard to understand about this?
Don't look at me, I agree with you. All I wanted to know was why anyone would think he (and other managers in similar situations) was tossed to protect a player who is already sitting in the dugout and no longer involved in the argument.
@Dave Parsons
I don't know what kind of understanding of the game you have in section 338, but in baseball world, he was arguing balls and strikes. Do you ever stop and think that perhaps the long leash he had already given McGehee might have begat the short leash given to Hurdle? Getting your player away is one thing but once you argue the BALL OR STRIKE call, you get one warning (If that) and then your done. Hurdle knows that. Everybody on that field knows that. What you neanderthal ump-bashing homers can't seem to get through your thick skulls is the managers aren't stupid. They know what will and won't get them run and probably even get warnings most of the time. But they get run anyway, because it's their job to get the lowbrows like yourself all riled up every once in a while.
Your fantasy world is cute, but here in the real world, this is how the game is played.
The body language right before the toss, and Hurdle's lack of animation following the toss lead me to believe that Hurdle requested to be ejected.
Foster is not m favorite umpire by any stretch of the imagination, but he got the call right here and handled this ejection well. It was also nice to see him not dipping during an ejection. That just looks unprofessional to me.
You can see Foster ask, "Are you arguing the check swing?" Then Hurdle nods his head, then the ejection.
We want players to play with passion. After all, they are supposed to inspire young kids to give it their all, right? That has to mean that they get a little "into" themselves out there. So I completly understand McGehee becomming animated and I think the ump did a great job of giving him a little lee-way here--no arguing balls and strikes, right? McGehee didn't seem to make a jerk of himself--he just wanted to understand why there was no check down to first on the swing. Probably didn't realize until after the game that he swung the bat half-way to first and probably the the easiest check/no-check call of the day for HP.
Hurdle needs to know when to class up a bit. Go get your guy and leave. Anything more is ridiculous. The Pittsburgh announcers are way wrong about the quick hook. Hurdle should have gotten that as soon as he turned back to Foster. I'm sure Foster's motion was a subtle one because the situation was so straight-forward, like calling a caught fly ball...
The MLB video seems to have been corrected, we get the whole play now. As such, we also get to hear the commentators say that McGehee went around, even before Foster calls it.
The commentators also seem to know that neither McGehee or Hurdle can appeal the call. Nice to see they have some knowledge.
It's a very clear strike, by any reasonable standard.
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