HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Angels pitcher Jered Weaver and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia for throwing at Tigers batter Alex Avila in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Angels-Tigers game. With two out and none on, Avila took a 0-0 fastball from Weaver for a ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located directly at the head of Avila (which he avoided), the call was correct.* The pitch from Weaver was immediately after surrendering a home run to Tigers Carlos Guillen, where Guillen dropped his bat and stared at Weaver while appearing to mouth something. Immediately after the this incident, Wendelstedt spoke to Weaver and issued both teams warnings. At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 3-0. The Tigers ultimately won the contest, 3-2.
These are Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s first and second ejections of 2011.
Hunter Wendelstedt now has 9 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (1 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 9).
Hunter Wendelstedt is owned as a Primary Umpire by tt49, who is now in 14th place in the UEFL with 13 points.
Hunter Wendelstedt is owned as a Secondary Umpire by kickersrule, who is now in 3rd place in the UEFL with 24 points.
*The call is correct under UEFL Rule 6.b.ii.e.
These are the 135th and 136th ejections of 2011.
These are the 42nd and 43rd ejections of July 2011.
This is the 62nd player ejection of 2011.
This is the 66th Manager ejection of 2011.
Prior to his ejection, Weaver's line was 6.2 IP and 3 ER in the contest.
Wrap: Angels at Tigers 7/31/11
Video: Hunter Ejects Weaver, Scioscia
Video (2): Guillen Homers, Wendelstedt Issues Warnings
I guess even Hunter can get an easy one now and then. Doesn't take much of a brain to call this one.
ReplyDeleteBout time he got a call right. He's the worst umpire in the bigs.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, he handled the whole situation great. The warnings, the ejection, and called a great game too. He's an All-Star umpire, and deservedly so. Happy to say he was our instructor at umpire school. Him and Jerry Layne practice as they preach by showing us all how to handle situations properly on the field.
ReplyDeleteDavidsons the worst. If I were weaver I'd have done the same thing.
ReplyDeleteHunter is not one of my favorites, but he certainly handled himself well in this situation, and took control of the situation to prevent a brawl.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Jerry Layne, do they have rules for MLB umpires about being in shape? I've always wondered about this.
ReplyDeleteI'm not picking on overweight people, cause I'm a big guy myself, but doesn't being as big as Layne has gotten affect your ability to do a good job, sooner or later?
We've already seen Layne blow a call at third base this year, cause he was late rotating from the plate to third on a play to the outfield, and he was out of position to make the call.
Just wondering if weight is something that MLB umpires get talked to about.
As far as this situation, great job by Hunter!
Just wonderin' ... have you ever seen a plate umpire eject the *batter* after a HR for doing what Guillen did?
ReplyDeleteNever seen a batter tossed for taunting. Maybe at the school age levels, but never saw it in pro ball. Preventative Officiating indicates some action (such as Hunters warning), but maybe an ejection wouldn't be out of line. Who knows what Hunter and Weaver said ay the mound. Weaver was clearly very upset.
ReplyDeleteI don't think admiring ones home run is against the rules.
ReplyDeleteYou can be sure that umpires have been talked to about weight, not just for performance reasons but for health reasons as well (who can forget the final moments of poor John McSherry's life). Guys like Layne are still around, but think back 15 years or so when guys like Gregg and Kaiser and bigger Joe West were around.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, don't think it's a coincidence that MLB umpires for past 20 or so years wear black most of the time. It hides their size more than any color.
There's no basis in the rules for ejecting someone for staring...
ReplyDeleteHowever, never forget. "Travesty of the Game"
ReplyDeleteUse it, enforce it, love it!