Ejections: Andy Fletcher (2)

2B Umpire Andy Fletcher ejected Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire for arguing an out call in the bottom of the 6th inning of the Angels-Twins game. With two out and one on and a 2-2 count to Twins batter Alexi Casilla, Angels pitcher Jered Weaver picked off Twins runner Denard Span at second base on a throw to shortstop Erick Aybar. Replays indicate that Aybar tagged Span before touching second base. Span's hand on the head first slide was blocked by Aybar's foot. The call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 0-0. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 1-0, in 10 innings.

This is Andy Fletcher (49)'s second ejection of 2011.
Andy Fletcher now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).
Andy Fletcher is owned as a Secondary Umpire by thexfactor264, who is now tied for 9th place in the UEFL with 8 points.

This is the 54th ejection of 2011.
This is the 30th manager ejection of 2011.
This is Ron Gardenhire's third ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Angels at Twins 5/28/11 Wrap
Video (1): Weaver nabs Span
Video (2): Fletcher Ejects Gardenhire (Ejection only)

Umpire Odds & Ends: Wegner Injured

HP Umpire Mark Wegner was injured during today's Giants-Brewers game. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Wegner moved down the third baseline to follow a bunted ball that went foul from Brewers batter Carlos Gomez on an 0-1 pitch from Giants pitcher Sergio Romo with two outs and none on. Wegner made a short step to avoid the bat of Gomez lying on the ground and immediately bent down (never falling to the ground). Wegner was favoring his lower right leg. Wegner was tended to and assisted off the field by Brewers trainers. 2B Umpire Mike Everitt changed into plate umpiring equipment and came out to take over plate duties after a 13 minute delay. 1B Umpire Mike Winters and 3B Umpire Mike Muchlinski manned the bases together for the remainder of the game. The crew's 3-man mechanics, with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, can be seen here on the final play of the game.

Mark Wegner (47) currently has one ejection and 4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by cyclone14, who is 2nd place in the UEFL with 13 points.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by SPballsandstrikes, who is in 8th place in the UEFL with 10 points.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by KTurner14, who is tied for 17th place in the UEFL with 4 points.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Secondary Umpire by zcr57, who is tied for 4th place in the UEFL with 11 points.

Video: Wegner Injured

UPDATE: According to a Brewers representative, Wegner suffered a torn right calf muscle. He will be flying to Florida for further evaluation by doctors to determine if surgery is necessary. Adrian Johnson (80) is scheduled to replace Wegner for the series finale.

Ejections: Angel Campos (3)

HP Umpire Angel Campos ejected A's Manager Bob Geren for arguing a ball two call in the top of the 6th inning of the Orioles-A's game. With none out and none on, Orioles batter Matt Wieters hit a 3-1 fastball from A's pitcher Gio Gonzalez to left fielder Josh Willingham for a single. Geren was ejected by Campos on the subsequent pitching change immediately following the single by Wieters. Replays indicate the 1-0 pitch was located belt high and over the inner edge of home plate, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 2-2. The A's ultimately won the contest, 6-2.

This is Angel Campos (84)'s third ejection of 2011.
Angel Campos now has -6 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (-4 Previous + 3 AAA + -1 Penalty + -4 Incorrect Call = -6).
*A Balls/Strikes exemption has been applied under Rule 6.e.iv.b.
Angel Campos was undrafted in 2011.

This is the 53rd ejection of 2011.
This is the 29th manager ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Orioles at A's 5/27/11 Wrap
Video: Geren is ejected by Umpire Campos

Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball

Ejections: Mike Muchlinski (2)

HP Umpire Mike Muchlinski ejected Giants Manager Bruce Bochy for arguing a safe call in the bottom of the 5th inning of the Giants-Brewers game. With one out and one on, Brewers batter Rickie Weeks hit a 1-2 slider from Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum to Lincecum. Brewers runner Nyjer Morgan scored. Replays indicate Morgan slid in safely, touching home plate before being tagged. The call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Brewers were leading, 3-0. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Mike Muchlinski (76)'s second ejection of 2011.
Mike Muchlinski now has 10 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (5 Previous + 3 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 10).
Mike Muchlinski was not drafted in 2011.

This is the 52nd ejection of 2011.
This is the 28th manager ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Giants at Brewers 5/27/11 Wrap
Video (1): Bochy is Ejected by Muchlinski
Video (2): Giants-Brewers Recap, :30 mark

Ejections: Ed Hickox (1)

HP Umpire Ed Hickox ejected Nationals third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. for an illegal pitch no call in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Padres-Nationals game. With one out and one on, Hairston hit a 1-2 fastball from Padres pitcher Clayton Richard to center fielder Cameron Maybin. Replays indicate that Richard did not throw an illegal "quick" pitch, despite Hairston stepping out of the batter's box and requesting time, which was not granted.* At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 1-0. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 2-1, on a walk-off home run.

This is Ed Hickox (15)'s first ejection of 2011.
Ed Hickox now has 4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Ed Hickox is owned as a Secondary Umpire by 15_and_done, who is now tied for 19th place in the UEFL with 3 points.
*Quality of Correctness was Challenged and Confirmed ("Correct" ==> "Correct").

This is the 51st ejection of 2011.
This is the 22nd player ejection of 2011.
Prior to his ejection, Hairston was 0-3 in the contest.

Wrap: Padres at Nationals 5/27/11 Wrap
Video: Hariston is Ejected by Hickox

Umpire Odds & Ends: Replacement Ball

Baseball is a sport in which, unlike basketball, football, or hockey, dozens and dozens of game balls are routinely used throughout the course of a contest. We all know the home plate umpire carries replacements on his person, and if one ball is taken out of play, he replenishes the supply by making a replacement available to the defensive team. Over time, we have seen there are two ways to do this: first, the home plate umpire may give the ball to the catcher who then throws it to his pitcher, or second, the home plate umpire may directly throw the ball to the pitcher.

There are certain advantages and disadvantages to each approach. When giving the ball to the catcher to throw to his pitcher, the game might be lengthened by a few seconds or the "flow" might be disrupted; when throwing the ball directly to the pitcher, as Jim Wolf (78) demonstrates, the umpire may look more "athletic" or more involved. On the other hand, if an umpire doesn't quite have a great arm, giving the ball directly to the catcher is the safer bet. Especially at the amateur levels, high school, or college ball, an errant throw to the pitcher could potentially land a well intentioned umpire on the wrong end of a personal injury lawsuit, if the throw happens to hit a pitcher in the head, for instance. In that case, handing a new ball to the catcher is the better option.

When an umpire throws the ball to a pitcher, it might look crisper and jibe better with the game. But when an umpire throws the ball to a pitcher, that throw better be accurate lest the "Umpire Fail" winds up on YouTube or as a 30 second ribbing on ESPN, as was the case with Jim Wolf last season in Toronto or CB Bucknor this season in San Francisco... or you could just watch a related video of Mr. Bucknor's to see a remix of his strike three swinging mechanic from the May 23, 2007 contest in New York... you still have a few more days to vote in our (called) strike three mechanic poll, just in case that remix influenced you.

UEFL History: Referee Magazine

The Umpire Ejection Fantasy League started as an e-mail chain in 2006 amongst a few friends. In July 2007, the Left Field Corner was formed at our former livejournal address with Mike Everitt leading the roster with seven ejections, until finally, in April 2011, we moved the site to the more reliable and customizable blogspot address we currently reside at, umpirejections.blogspot.com. Over the years, the UEFL has evolved from an occasional e-mail that might have read: "5/9/06, Charlie Reliford (5/9, 1, NYY Bernie Williams), Doug Eddings (5/9, 1, NYM Julio Franco)," (look it up, it's accurate) to one of the first Left Field Corner blog posts, "Ejections: Rob Drake (1)." In 2010, the league opened to non-invitees, and in 2011, the second league interactive season, we have 37 participants. Since 2006, in addition to improving the way in which ejections are covered and objectively analyzed, the UEFL has added other labels: Umpire Odds/Ends, Discussions, Case Plays, Polls, Other Sports, UEFL Matters, and of course, Ejections. UEFL is on twitter and facebook and continues to expand with the new Roster and Standings, Ejection List, Case Plays, UEFL Rulesbook, and Historical Data tabs. Over the past few seasons, UEFL features have been greatly expanded and refined, and already, further capabilities are being planned for next season.

Where is all of this going? In 2009, REFEREE Magazine featured the Left Field Corner livejournal website in their November 2009 publication. The clipping of that print allows us to take a brief look back at the early UEFL and see the great steps taken since then. Of course, REFEREE Magazine featured us in one of their more dissentious sections, but as some MLB Umpires like to say, "Nice to see you; good to be seen."

Discussions: Video Interference

A fairly obvious call, as far as fan interference calls go, has brought on an interesting discussion point regarding instant replay review. Anonymous writes:

Anyone see the play tonight in the top of the 5th inning during the Braves/Pirates game? I think it deserves its own post.

With a runner on first, Chipper Jones hit a long fly ball to right center. The ball fell in play but was interfered with on the way to the ground by a fan trying to catch it. The umpires went to the replays to determine whether or not the runner from first would come home on the play. However, based on the MLB rules in place, how was this allowed? MLB says that replays are only for homerun boundary calls. Since this clearly wasn't a homerun call, how was replay allowed? Does this mean that on a ground ball down the first base line that goes into foul territory then is touched by a fan can be replayed?

In the top of the 5th inning of the 5/24/11 Braves-Pirates game, with one on and two out, Braves batter Chipper Jones hits a fly ball to deep center field. A fan reaches over the wall and undoubtedly interferes with play. 2B Umpire Jeff Kellogg and his crew use instant replay to verify the interference and two base award, keeping R1 and third base. By rule, instant replay review may only be used on home run calls, and the decision regarding the placement of runners only applies to a home run call on the field being overturned by instant replay.

Instant replay will apply only to home run calls -- whether they are fair or foul, whether they have left the playing field, or whether they have been subject to fan interference. The decision to use instant replay will be made by the umpire crew chief, who also will make the determination as to whether or not a call should be reversed.

Any decision regarding the placement of runners, should a home run call be reversed, will be made by the crew chief. As is done in cases of fan interference, the crew chief will place the baserunners where he believes they would have been had the call been made properly. 

Discussion point: Undoubtedly, the umpires employed instant replay in accordance with these rules, but did the umpires really appear to use "the replays to determine whether or not the runner from first would come home on the play" or, rather, did the umpires simply use instant replay to confirm the call on the field of spectator interference as defined by Rule 2.00 INTERFERENCE (d)? Were the umpires proper in awarding the batter second base and awarding baserunner R1, from first base, third base? Rule 3.16 deals with spectator interference:

3.16 When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in his opinion will nullify the act of interference.

Ejections: Mark Wegner (1)

HP Umpire Mark Wegner ejected Rockies Manager Jim Tracy for arguing an out call to end the bottom of the 3rd inning of the Diamondbacks-Rockies game. With two out and two on, Rockies batter Troy Tulowitzki took a 0-2 fastball from Diamondbacks pitcher Joe Saunders for a called first ball. Replays indicate the ball squirted away from Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, who quickly gathered the ball and tossed to Saunders as Rockies R3 Dexter Fowler attempted to advance to home plate. Replays indicate Saunders applied the tag as Fowler failed to touch home plate, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 1-1. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Mark Wegner (47)'s first ejection of 2011.
Mark Wegner now has 4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by cyclone14, who is now in 2nd place in the UEFL with 13 points.*
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by SPballsandstrikes, who is now in 8th place in the UEFL with 10 points.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Primary Umpire by KTurner14, who is now tied for 17th place in the UEFL with 4 points.
Mark Wegner is owned as a Secondary Umpire by zcr57, who is now tied for 4th place in the UEFL with 11 points.
*cyclone14's Secondary Umpire, Adrian Johnson, also had an ejection today. Johnson's QOC is pending with the default placeholder of "correct." cyclone14's League points may change as a result of Johnson's QOC being reviewed.

*Quality of Correctness was challenged and denied ("Correct" ==> "Correct").

This is the 50th ejection of 2011.
This is the 27th Manager ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Diamondbacks at Rockies (Game 2) 5/24/11 Wrap
Video (1): Saunders and Fowler crash at home plate; Tracy is ejected
Video (2): The whole scene, including replays of the ejection

Ejections: Adrian Johnson (2)

1B Umpire Adrian Johnson ejected Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun for arguing an out call in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the Nationals-Brewers game. With one out and one on, Braun hit a 1-1 slider from Cardinals pitcher Livan Hernandez to second baseman Danny Espinosa, who threw to first baseman Michael Morse. Replays indicate the ball arrived in Morse's glove just in advance of Braun's foot arriving at first base, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 5-2. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 7-6.

This is Adrian Johnson (80)'s second ejection of 2011.
Adrian Johnson now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).
Adrian Johnson is owned as a Secondary Umpire by cyclone14, who is now in 6th place in the UEFL with 9 points.

This is the 49th ejection of 2011.
This is the 21st player ejection of 2011.
Prior to his ejection, Braun was 0-2 in the contest.

Wrap: Nationals at Brewers 5/24/11 Wrap
Video (1): Braun is ejected arguing a close call
Video (2): The bang bang play at first base (alternate angle)

Ejections: Jim Joyce (4)

HP Umpire Jim Joyce ejected Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa for arguing a strike three call in the top of the 8th inning of the Cardinals-Padres game. With one out and one on, Cardinals batter Albert Pujols took a 3-2 slider from Padres pitcher Mike Adams for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located knee high and over the heart of home plate, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 1-1. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 3-1.

This is Jim Joyce (66)'s fourth ejection of 2011.
Jim Joyce now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (12 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 16).
Jim Joyce is owned as a Secondary Umpire by yawetag, who is now in 1st place in the UEFL with 21 points.

This is the 48th ejection of 2011.
This is the 26th manager ejection of 2011.
This is Tony La Russa's first ejection of 2011.
This is the Cardinals' first ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Cardinals at Padres Wrap 5/23/11
Video: La Russa is ejected arguing balls and strikes

Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball

Ejections: Rob Drake (2)

1B Umpire Rob Drake ejected Indians Manager Manny Acta for arguing a safe call in the top of the 8th inning of the Red Sox-Indians game. With one out and none on, Red Sox batter Jacoby Ellsbury hit a 1-0 sinker to Indians first basemen Matt LaPorta. Ellsbury reached base on a missed catch error by Indians pitcher Justin Masterson. Replays indicate that Masterson dragged his foot next to the base, but never touched the base. Although his foot kicks up, replays indicate it was Masterson's toe (cleat) that bounced off the dirt right next to the base. The call was correct. The call is now inconclusive.* At the time of the ejection, the Red Sox were leading, 2-1. The Indians ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Rob Drake (30)'s second ejection of 2011.
Rob Drake now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).
Rob Drake is owned as a Secondary Umpire by BSBALLUMP, who is now in 11th place in the UEFL with 6 points.
*Quality of Correctness was challenged, deferred, and reverted ("Correct" ==> "Inconclusive" ==> "Correct")

This is the 47th ejection of 2011.
This is the 25th manager ejection of 2011.
This is Manny Acta's first ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Boston at Cleveland 5/23/11 Wrap
Video (1): Acta is ejected arguing a missed tag call
Video (2): Condensed Game BOS @ CLE (8:33 to 9:10 mark; 9:00 to 9:05 zoom; Pause at 9:03)

Case Plays: Anonymous Protests

This Case Play has been completed. Congratulations to UEFL League Members TonyTheRed, RichMSN, kickersrule, ump_24, and mtn335 for correctly answering both parts of the posted play. yawetag answered (a) correctly, but did not attempt (b). The correct response is:

(a) R1 is out on appeal, Rule 7.10(d) does not restrict this second appeal. R2 and R3 have preceded R1 and have legally crossed home plate prior to the execution of the appeal; the runs shall score. The score is 5-4.
(b) R3 is out on appeal. R1 and R2 may not score under Rule 7.12. This exact play is dealt with in OBR, Rule 4.09 Comment.

3 Points Added to:
ump_24 is now tied for 3rd place in the UEFL with 11 points.

2 Points Added to:

mtn335 is now in 2nd place in the UEFL with 12 points.

kickersrule is now in 10th place in the UEFL with 7 points.

RichMSN is now tied for 11th place in the UEFL with 6 points.
TonyTheRed is now tied for 14th place in the UEFL with 5 points.

1 Point Added to:

yawetag is now in 1st place in the UEFL with 18 points.

Thank you for participating in this Case Play and congratulations to all participants, who responded with at least partial correctness. Stay tuned for further Case Plays. The original Case Play post has been reproduced below.

---

Pursuant to UEFL Rule 4.f., this Case Play is open for 48 hours from the time of this post (5/21/11 at 1:00AM). During this time, all Case Play responses will remain in moderation (screened or invisible) until the 48 hour submission period is closed. To receive full point(s) credit, you must answer the following scenario correctly, including any relevant MLB Rule(s) and all relevant results of the play after applying said rule(s).

Related Entry: Umpire Odds & Ends: I Protest

This case play comes directly from Umpire Odds & Ends: I Protest. Note that as a result, the "I Protest" Odds & Ends will be closed off to new comments until this Case Play is complete. You may reference the current version of "I protest" to assist you with this Case Play. In "I Protest," Anonymous wrote to us that the conclusions reached in that post may be wrong. This case play is therefore a points-attributing furtherance of that discussion. Using the rules - both those identified in the "I Protest" post and those found elsewhere in the OBR, please answer the following scenario.

In the bottom of the 5th inning, there is one out and the bases are loaded. The score is 4-3, with the current defensive team in the lead. B1 hits a line drive to F8, who catches the ball on the fly for the second out, and subsequently falls down. R1 (from first base), R2 (from second base), and R3 (from third base) each attempt to tag up and advance; all three runners cross home plate without a throw. The defensive team appeals that (a) R2 left early. R2 is ruled "safe." The defensive team then appeals that R1 left early. R1 did in fact leave early, but should the umpire honor this second appeal? What will the score be when play continues (did any runs score/not score?), and how will play continue? b) R3 left early. R3 is ruled "out," as he did leave from third base too early. What will the score be when play continues (did any runs score/not score?), and how will play continue? For parts (a) and (b) of the scenario, determine the correct result of the play, how play will resume, and the basis on which you reached that decision (cite your rule[s]). (1pt for [a], 1 pt for [b], 1pt for providing an OBR source that deals with the exact play referenced in [b])

Consult the UEFL Rulebook for further information regarding Rule 4.f and Case Plays.

Ejections: Angel Campos (1, 2)

HP Umpire Angel Campos ejected Royals catcher Matt Treanor and Manager Ned Yost for arguing a ball call in the top of the 7th inning of the Cardinals-Royals game. With one out and none on, Cardinals batter Colby Rasmus took a 2-0 fastball from Royals pitcher Everett Teaford for a called third ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located navel high and over the heart of home plate, the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 7-5. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 9-8, in 10 innings.

These are Angel Campos (84)'s first and second ejections of 2011.
Angel Campos now has -4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (0 Previous + 3 AAA - 1 Penalty - 4 Incorrect Call + 3 AAA - 1 Penalty - 4 Incorrect Call = -4).
Angel Campos was undrafted in 2011.

These are the 45th and 46th ejections of 2011.
This is the 20th player ejection of 2011.
This is the 24th Manager ejection of 2011.
This is Ned Yost's first ejection of 2011.
Prior to his ejection, Treanor was 1-3 in the contest.

Wrap: Cardinals at Royals, 5/22/11 Wrap
Video (1): Treanor and Yost are ejected by Campos
Video (2): Yost discusses his ejection

Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball

Ejections: Todd Tichenor (2)

HP Umpire Todd Tichenor ejected Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman for arguing an illegal action out call in the top of the 1st inning of the Nationals-Orioles game. With none out and none on, Nationals leadoff batter Roger Bernadina attempted to bunt a 0-1 fastball from Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman, and was called out for hitting the ball while outside of his batter's box under Rules 6.03 and 6.06(a). Replays indicate Bernadina contacted the ball with one foot completely outside of the left batter's box and touching the ground at home plate, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 0-0. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 2-1.

This is Todd Tichenor (97)'s second ejection of 2011.
Todd Tichenor now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).
Todd Tichenor is owned as a Secondary Umpire by Scumpire, who is tied for 5th place in the UEFL with 8 points.

This is the 44th ejection of 2011.
This is the 22nd Manager ejection of 2011.
This is Jim Riggleman's second ejection of 2011.

Wrap: Nationals at Orioles 5/22/11 Wrap
Video: Condensed Game WAS @ BAL (0:10 to 1:10 mark)

Image Courtesy "Anonymous"