HP Umpire Mike Winters ejected Yankees Manager Joe Girardi for arguing a call in top of the 7th inning of the Red Sox-Yankees game. With two out and none on, Red Sox batter Jason Varitek took a 2-2 slider from Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia for a called third ball. Girardi was ejected during a subsequent pitching change; per UEFL Rules 6.e.iv.b. and Rule 6.e.iii. regarding Pitching Change and Post-Inning Exemptions, no singular at bat is considered, as it is not obvious beyond all doubt which single call was contested. Therefore, Winters' performance over the entire Top 7 up to the pitching change is considered. Over this period, Winters was 13 for 15, or 87% accurate. This is significantly over the threshold ordinarily used in calculating UEFL pitch call Quality of Correctness, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Red Sox were leading, 6-0. The Red Sox ultimately won the contest, 6-0.
This is Mike Winters (33)'s first ejection of 2011.
Mike Winters now has 4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4)
Mike Winters is owned as a Secondary Umpire by Ring_Tail, who is now in 2nd place in the UEFL with 11 points.
This is the 38th ejection of 2011.
This is the 20th Manager ejection of 2011.
Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball
12 comments :
One could argue though that it is obvious which call Girardi is arguing since he can be see non video signaling 4 to Winters, as in the number of runs that scored after he failed to call that strike 3, which would have been the third out.
@Anonymous, I don't think it's obvious beyond all doubt... remember, the MLB video combines two events which occurred several minutes and batters apart from each other. The video combines the two, but I guarantee, without such editing, you wouldn't not automatically assume that this and only this call was the one Girardi might be arguing.
Girardi gets dumped here because he leaves his pitcher in too long. That's the long and short of it. He leaves in CC to give up a homer to Gonzalez, a mistake when CC was already getting into trouble.
I think some of these single pitch or post inning exemptions go too far - what are the statutes of limitations for arguing a call? I call ball one to begin the inning, and I eject you during a pitching change 6 batters later... does that ball one call to begin the inning, if wrong, mean the entire ejection is wrong? There were several batters and plays in between, how long are they allowed to go? That said, I think this is the right call. If Girardi wants to argue over the Varitek at bat, he needs to do so during or immediately after the Varitek at bat. Girardi waits several batters later to argue, so I agree the ejection should be judged by the collective performance over the course of that inning up to the ejection. Good call, Winters (and this league) gets it right.
@John The ejection is never wrong, its the call behind the ejection that is wrong. Whether I argue that ball 1 immediately after it is called, during a pitching change 6 batters later, or even 6 innings later; the call that I am arguing is still incorrect. If Winters calls that strike 3, the argument and resulting ejection probably never happen.
@Jim Regardless of what the MLB video shows, I watched the game live. Girardi was barking at the pitch when it was called, and continued to bark all the way until the pitching change, when he was ejected.
@Anonymous
Pitching change and post-inning exemptions may be challenged. However, there cannot be as to any doubt what the one particular call is over. The fact that Giardi was complaining for at bats and at bats does not necessarily erase all doubt. It must be evident it was one particular pitch was at the heart of discussion at the moment of ejection. Simply beginning to argue (which we don't know if that was necessarily when he started arguing) after one pitch, then being ejected 6 batters later, does not prove it was over that one pitch.
As to the six innings later, a Post-Inning exemption is only valid up through the inning break immediately following the half inning in which the call was made. It is extremely difficult to say that the argument six innings later was over the call from six innings previous. Also, the fact that a single strike/ball or safe/out call goes against a team in the first inning, and the manager then gets ejected for it (say with an out in the 9th inning), the manager had a chance to argue that specific call at the time it happened. It then moves in to the realm of unsportsmanlike behavior. I would see Mike DiMuro (1, 2) for an example of this.
With that being said, you are free to challenge.
I am not going to challenge this call, since I already know it will be denied. I think this rule needs to be looked at, because how can you definitively prove that any argument is over the call that you assume is being argued. The only people who definitively know what is being argued are the umpire and the player/manager/coach involved.
@Anonymous #3, I would counter your "if Winters calls that strike 3, the argument and resulting ejection probably never happen" with "if Girardi's team doesn't proceed to give up four runs in the inning, the ejection probably never happens."
I have a take here - this ejection was due to mechanics, not a call. He pump faked a strike call then called ball - that did happen. It is an umpiring mistake. Like making a call at 2nd base from right beside 1st base - even if you get the call right you may get (and deserve) an ejection...
That's one place where Tim McClelland and Dale Scott have the upper hand. With their mechanics and a "delayed" call, they have time to fully see the play, maybe even see it again, and make sure they're making the right call. With the timing of some other guys' mechanics, you get into a situation where you quit on a strike call halfway through the mechanic, because that's when you're seeing the play again and evaluating your own accuracy.
@Anonymous #4 I do agree, but they are intertwined. If Winters calls the pitch strike 3, none of the runs ever score. But I see what you are saying, if he missed the pitch, but no runs ever score, there probably is no ejection. I definitely agree.
It's the perfect storm. Close call against one's team + One's team performing poorly = The Blame Game.
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