Ejections 138, 139: Lance Barrett (4, 5)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and Manager Robin Ventura for arguing a ball call in the top of the 3rd inning of the Mariners-White Sox game. With one out and none on, Mariners batter Justin Smoak took a 0-0 fastball from White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana for a called ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located around hollow-of-knee high and over the outer half of home plate (sz_bot of 1.69 and pz of 1.693, norm_ht of -.997), the call was inconclusive.* The call is now incorrect.^ At the time of the ejections, the Mariners were leading, 3-1. The White Sox ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

These are Lance Barrett (94)'s fourth and fifth ejections of 2012.
Lance Barrett now has 7 points in the UEFL (1 Previous + 2*[3 AAA + 0 Inconclusive Call] = 7).
Crew Chief Jim Joyce now has 6 points in the UEFL's crew division (4 Previous + 2*[1 Inconclusive] = 6).
*QOC is not Incorrect pursuant to UEFL Rule 6-2-b-2, the Miller Rule. Because the lower bound of the zone for this pitch was 1.69 feet and the pitch was located at a height of 1.693 feet, zone height (sz_bot) does not provide enough significant digits to conclusively state whether the call was correct or not.
^Quality of Correctness was reversed by the UEFL Appeals Board, 1-3-2.

UEFL Standings Update

These are the 138th and 139th ejections of 2012.

This is the 57th player ejection of 2012. Prior to his ejection, Pierzynski was 0-1 in the contest (F6).

This is the 67th Manager ejection of 2012.

This is the White Sox's 7th ejection of 2012, T-2nd in the AL Central (DET 9; KC, CWS 7; CLE, MIN 6).

This is A.J. Pierzynski's first ejection since April 20, 2011 (Brian Knight; QOC = Correct).

This is Robin Ventura's first ejection since July 8 (D.J. Reyburn; QOC = Correct).

Wrap: Mariners at White Sox, 8/25/12

Video: Pierzynski and Ventura ejected arguing Barrett's strike zone, Hawk Harrelson rants again
Video: Chicago Bench Coach Mark Parent discusses the dual ejection after the contest

A.A. Umpire Fired After Physical Ejection of Manager

An American Association umpire has been fired after a physical ejection during a Tuesday Independent League contest between the Sioux City Explorers and Kansas City T-Bones. In the bottom of the third inning, Explorers batter Peter Barrows was ruled to have fouled a pitch with two strikes that T-Bones manager Kenny Hook thought had been missed entirely for a third strike. Following an argument in which Hook was ejected by home plate umpire Mike Riggers, Hook snatched down his hat before strongly bumping the umpire.

Umpire fired for a bump?

Instead of simply acknowledging the bump, however, Riggers responded with a minor chest bump of his own as Hooks and Riggers continued to verbally joust, Hook pushed away by an assistant coach and Riggers guided back by third base umpire Dixon Sturman as first base umpire Justin Anderson observed the proceedings.

Oddly enough, Hook received a three-game suspension while Riggers was expelled from the league. In May, umpire Bob Davidson was suspended by MLB for repeated violations of BOC's situation handling standards after a run-in with Charlie Manuel.

Video: Hooks argues, is ejected and bumps Riggers, who responds with an argument of his own
News: X's and Oh's ... Riggers fired after third-inning dust-up with Hook
Image: Animated GIF of Hook bumping Riggers ... who in turn delivers a minor bump to Hook

GCL Umpires Assist with Plane Landing Evacuation

When two rookie MiLB umpires witnessed an airplane's emergency landing in Florida Thursday morning en route to their Gulf Coast League assignment, the first-year umpires stopped and exited their car to investigate, with one assisting the pilot and two passengers in evacuating the aircraft.

Umpires Takahito Matsuda (Seiyo, Ehime, Japan) and George Riedel (Rockaway, NJ) had been travelling to Bradenton, Florida via Interstate-75 when an odd sight brought traffic to a near halt: "The plane in the air caught my eye because it was probably only 30-40 feet off the ground that this point," said Riedel.

News: GCL umpires witness plane landing

Ejections 136, 137: Wally Bell (1, 2)

HP Umpire Wally Bell ejected Twins P Scott Diamond and Manager Ron Gardenhire for throwing at Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the Twins-Rangers game. With one out and one on in the top of the 3rd inning, Twins batter Joe Mauer was hit by a 3-0 Roy Oswalt pitch. With one out and none on in the bottom of the frame, Diamond's first pitch to Hamilton sailed high and inside toward Hamilton's head. Though the pitch did not hit Hamilton, Rule 8.02(d)(1) enjoins umpires to expel the pitcher or manager and pitcher from the game if, in his judgment, the pitcher has intentionally pitched at the batter. Rule 8.02(d) Comment futher specifies that pitching at a batter's head is unsportsmanlike, condemned and highly dangerous. Gardenhire was ejected disputing the ejection and disputing Bell's decision not to issue warnings after Oswalt hit Mauer, which is a prohibited argument pursuant to the terms of Rule 8.02(d) Comment, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejections, the contest was tied, 2-2. The Rangers ultimately won the contest, 10-6.

These are Wally Bell (35)'s first and second ejections of 2012.
Wally Bell now has 4 points in the UEFL (0 Previous + 2*[2 MLB + 0 Irrecusable Call] = 4).
Crew Chief Wally Bell now has 3 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (1 Previous + 2*[1 Irrecusable] = 3).

UEFL Standings Update

These are the 136th and 137th ejections of 2012.
This is the 57th player ejection of 2012. Prior to his ejection, Diamond had 2.1 IP with 2 ER.
This is the 67th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Twins' 6th ejection of 2012, T-3rd in the AL Central (DET 9; KC 7; CLE, MIN 6; CWS 5).
This is Scott Diamond's first career ejection.
This is Ron Gardenhire's first ejection since May 25 (Alan Porter; QOC = Incorrect).
This is Wally Bell's first ejection since August 16, 2011 (Tony Sipp; QOC = Incorrect).

Wrap: Twins at Rangers, 8/23/12
Video: After Joe Mauer is plunked, Diamond throws over Hamilton's head, leading to ejections (MIN Feed)

MiLB Ejection of Week: Kolin Kline (1)

For this week's Minor League ejection, we visit umpire Kolin Kline (3B), who on Wednesday ejected Round Rock Express Manager Bobby Jones for arguing an obstruction no-call. Also featured during this sequence are umpires Chris Segal (1B) and Brandon Misun (HP). Kline began the 2012 season in the Southern League and worked the 2012 SL All-Star Game (plate), while Misun began 2012 in the Texas League before being promoted. Segal umpired in the PCL last season as well. (2012 PCL Roster)

Kline and Kata

The Minor League Ejection of the Week showcases the brightest Triple-A talent and biggest MiLB meltdowns with a special "Thank You" to UEFL'er Russ, who has been filling us in on all the AAA ejection action.

In the bottom of the 9th inning of the Pacific Coast League (PCL)'s Nashville Sounds vs. Express contest, with none out and two on, Express batter Yangervis Solarte hit a 1-1 pitch from Sounds hurler Robert Wooten to first baseman Jordan Brown, who stepped on first base for one out before firing to shortstop Eric Farris, who tagged R1 Matt Kata out at second base for a double play, though Jones argued that Kata had been obstructed by second baseman Adrian Williams, who Kata alleged physically impeded his attempt at advancement. Replays do not indicate whether obstruction occurred as the camera only pans toward the second base area as R1 is sliding into second base, well past where F4 was stationed. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 6-6. The Express ultimately won the contest, 7-6, in 11 innings.

Wrap: Nashville Sounds at Round Rock Express (MiLB), 8/22/12

Video: Kata is tagged out by Farris; skipper Bobby Jones ejected arguing for an obstruction call (UEFL)

Ejection 135: Ed Hickox (1)

2B Umpire Ed Hickox ejected Indians Manager Manny Acta for arguing a safe call in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Indians-Mariners game. With none out and none on, Mariners batter Kyle Seager hit a 2-0 fastball from Indians pitcher Vinnie Pestano to right fielder Shin-Soo Choo who threw to second base in an attempt to retire Seager. Replays indicate Seager successfully pulled his right arm back while reaching for second base with his left hand and was not tagged prior to contacting second base, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 1-1. The Mariners ultimately won the contest, 3-1.

This is Ed Hickox (15)'s first ejection of 2012.

Ed Hickox now has 4 points in the UEFL (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Wally Bell now has 1 point in the UEFL's Crew Division (0 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 1).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 135th ejection of 2012.
This is the 66th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Indians' 6th ejection of 2012, 3rd in the AL Central (DET 9; KC 7; CLE 6; CWS 5; MIN 4).
This is Manny Acta's first ejection since April 14 (Gary Darling; QOC = Irrecusable).
This is Ed Hickox's first ejection since September 23, 2011 (B.J. Upton; QOC = Correct).

Wrap: Indians at Mariners, 8/22/12

Video: Seager called "safe" at second base after pulling hand back, Acta ejected arguing for an out

Ejection 134: Angel Campos (6)

1B Umpire Angel Campos ejected Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen for arguing a balk no-call in the top of the 3rd inning of the Marlins-Diamondbacks game. With two out and one on, Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Skaggs attempted to pick off Marlins baserunner R1 Jose Reyes, Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to second baseman Aaron Hill. Replays indicate Skaggs legally performed his pickoff maneuver, stepping toward first base and not making a natural motion to commit him to the pitch, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 2-2. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Angel Campos (84)'s 6th ejection of 2012.
Angel Campos now has 23 points in the UEFL (18 Previous + 3 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 23).
Crew Chief Jim Joyce now has 4 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (3 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 4).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 134th ejection of 2012.
This is the 65th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Marlins' 3rd ejection of 2012, T-3rd in the NL East (NYM 8; ATL 4; MIA, PHI 3; WSH 0).
This is Ozzie Guillen's first ejection since June 26 (Dan Bellino; QOC = Correct).
This is Angel Campos' first ejection since August 16 (Matt Kemp & Joe Blanton; QOC = Correct).

Wrap: Marlins at Diamondbacks, 8/22/12

Video: Reyes picked off and caught stealing 2nd base (Guillen ejected protesting call)

Ejection 133: Scott Barry (1)

HP Umpire Scott Barry ejected Royals Manager Ned Yost for arguing a strike three call in the top of the 8th inning of the Royals-Rays game. With none out and none on, Royals batter Eric Hosmer took a 2-2 changeup from Rays pitcher James Shields for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located knee high and over the outer edge of home plate (pz of 1.62), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Royals were leading, 4-1. The Royals ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Scott Barry (87)'s first ejection of 2012.
Scott Barry now has 4 points in the UEFL (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Gary Darling now has 9 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (8 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 9).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 133rd ejection of 2012.
This is the 64th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Royals' 7th ejection of 2012, 2nd in the AL Central (DET 9; KC 7; CLE, CWS 5; MIN 4).
This is Ned Yost's first ejection since July 22 (D.J. Reyburn; QOC = Irrecusable).
This is Scott Barry's first ejection since July 29, 2011 (Carlos Carrasco; QOC = Correct).

Wrap: Royals at Rays, 8/22/12

Video: Hosmer called out on strikes on a nasty breaking ball from Shields, Ned Yost tossed

Umpire Jim Joyce Performs CPR, Saves Woman's Life

Umpire Jim Joyce has reportedly saved a woman's life by performing CPR when the woman, Diamondbacks food service (Levy) employee Jayne Powers, stopped breathing following what staff at the time believed was a seizure, but what turned out to be cardiac arrest.

"Without a doubt, that man right there saved a life."
- FSN Arizona/D'Backs Broadcaster Brad Steinke

The incident occurred approximately 90 minutes before the Marlins-D'Backs contest Monday night when umpires Joyce and his crew (Lance Barrett, Jim Reynolds & James Hoye) were arriving at Chase Field in Arizona. When Joyce saw the employee drop to the ground in the tunnels outside the umpire's dressing room, he ensured her head was protected before noticing her body becoming limp and her breathing slowing and then stopping.

At that point, Joyce knew what he had to do, continuing to administer CPR even after paramedics arrived with a defibrillator, whose first shock failed to revive the patient. After the second round of CPR and a defibrillator shock, Powers began breathing again, all the while Joyce continuing to talk and sing "Staying Alive" in an attempt to revive her.

Joyce, who was the home plate umpire Monday night, said he had learned CPR while in high school: "This is something everybody should know. Everybody should know what to do in a circumstance like that. It's not a hard thing. You don't need a degree. It's very simple, and very easy."

Coming off the intense live-saving experience, his crew presented Joyce with the option of trading his plate game for a night at third base, but Joyce declined: "It was very emotional, I'll be honest with you," he said. "But I didn't want to go to third base because just standing there, literally, [the incident] is all I would have thought about all night. I wouldn't have been able to think about anything else. Going behind the plate, I would have something to do every minute. I could just do my job. But I'll be honest with you, there were still times during the game that I was thinking about it."

*UPDATED* On Tuesday, Joyce and his wife Kay visited Powers at Good Samaritan Hospital in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

"Just knowing [CPR], I think it's imperative," Joyce said. "You may never, ever, have to use it, but it's just that one time that you do." Joyce's daughter is currently in school training to be an EMT while his son, a Beaverton, Oregon baseball coach, is also CPR certified.

Jim Joyce was the UEFL's Umpire of the Year in 2009 and has won multiple UEFL awards over the years.

News: Quick-thinking Joyce helps save woman's life
Video: Jim Joyce recognized for his heroics

Ejection 132: Fieldin Culbreth (1)

3B Umpire Fieldin Culbreth ejected Mets Manager Terry Collins for arguing an out (reversed) call in the bottom of the 5th inning of the Rockies-Mets game. With one out and one on, Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin attempted to pick off baserunner R2 Andres Torres. Replays indicate that during the rundown that ensued between shortstop Jonathan Herrera and third baseman Jordan Pacheco, 2B Umpire Lance Barksdale erroneously ruled Torres safewhile Culbreth's out call was proper, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Mets were leading, 1-0. The Rockies ultimately won the contest, 6-2.

This is Fieldin Culbreth (25)'s first ejection of 2012.
Fieldin Culbreth now has 4 points in the UEFL (0 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Gary Cederstrom now has 2 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Correct = 2).
*Quality of Correctness was challenged and affirmed by the UEFL Appeals Board (5-0).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 132nd ejection of 2012.
This is the 63rd Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Mets' 8th ejection of 2012, 1st in the NL East (NYM 8; ATL 4; PHI 3; MIA 2; WSH 0).
This is Terry Collins' first ejection since July 14 (Dale Scott; QOC = Correct).
This is Fieldin Culbreth's first ejection since June 27, 2010 (Jim Leyland; QOC = Incorrect).

Wrap: Rockies at Mets, 8/21/12

Video: Torres picked off and caught stealing during rundown between second and third base

Umpire Odds & Ends: 2012 Ejections Down 16% from 2011

2012 umpire ejection stats are down from last year: With 1,827 games down and 603 to go in the 2012 regular season, umpires have ejected 131 players, managers and coaches, or about once every 13.95 games. By this point in the 2011 season, umpires had recorded 156 ejections or once every 11.71 contests. By the end of 2011, however, that rate had cooled to just once per 12.21 contests.

2011: Two umpires (Davidson/Layne) eject the same manager...

To figure out why this might be, let us break down the numbers. For accuracy's sake, all following data was gathered through 1,827 games in 2011 and 2012.

By Reason for Ejection
2011: Balls/Strikes (76), Safe/Out (36), Throwing At (18), Balk (7), Fight (6), Int/Obstruct (4), Fair/Foul (1).
2012: Balls/Strikes (67), Safe/Out (30), Fair/Foul (8), Throwing At (7), Balk (5), Fight (1).

Both this season and last, pitch location and check swings provided the bulk of ejections followed by whether a runner was safe or out. Giving credence to the Commissioner's remarks regarding instituting video instant replay review for bullets hit down the first and third base lines, 2012 has seen eight fair/foul ejections whereas 2011 saw just one to this point, or 6.1% (2012) to 0.6% (2011).

By Quality of Correctness
2011: Correct (115), Incorrect (41) // Correct (88), Incorrect (41), Irrecusable (27) = 68.2% Accuracy
2012: Correct (59), Incorrect (50), Irrecusable (22) = 54.1% Accuracy

The fact that 2011 accuracy to this point was 14.4% higher than the 2012 figure, combined with a decrease in ejections in 2012, indicates that players and managers may be choosing their battles more wisely and in turn, may be correct more often. Irrecusable figures in 2011 were appropriately 123% higher than in 2012, which is statistically similar to the increased 2011 ejections compared to 2012 of 156 vs. 131 (119%).

By Team
2011: TB 12; BOS 10; HOU 9; WSH 8; CHC, TEX 7; ATL, BAL, DET, KC, LAD, TOR 6 ... CIN 0.
2012: LAD 11; BOS, DET 9; NYM 7; KC, MIL 6; CLE, CWS, TEX, TOR 5 ... WSH 0.

The ejection power players have changed from 2011 to 2012, with the Los Angeles Dodgers rocketing from T-7th to 1st place and the Washington Nationals dropping from 4th to 30th place, the Rays from 1st to having just three to this point in 2012—the only team that appears to have maintained a consistent trend of getting ejected has been the turmoil-plagued Boston Red Sox, whose 10 ejections through 1,827 MLB games in 2011 converted to nine in 2012.

By Umpire
2011: Rob Drake (9), Bob Davidson (7), Mike Estabrook (6), Mike Muchlinski (5), Marty Foster (5).
2012: Darling (6), Tschida (5), Holbrook (5), Foster (5), Reyburn (5), Campos (5), Knight (5).

In 2011, several specific umpires ejected many players each; Drake's nine ejections by Game 1,827 stood until season's end, while Davidson and Wendelstedt tied for second place with eight apiece. Joe West came in fourth with seven heave-hos. This year, however, Davidson went back to uniform #61 and back down to just four ejections. West, meanwhile is at two and Wendelstedt at one, though in 2011, Hunter was helped by a second-half surge that saw him rise from zero to eight in just 2.5 months. Yet in our Game 1,827 leading group, we are seeing more crew chiefs doling out discipline this season than last, indicating some difference in ejection trends regarding MLB umpiring's on-field leadership team.

Temperature & Climate Paradox
According to baseball theory (and proven in criminology), warm weather corresponds to increased ejection activity. Why then, have we seen fewer ejections in 2012—a record warm year—than in 2011—a year whose warmth ranked lower than 2012? According to the NOAA, July of 2012 was associated with a national temperature rank of 118, indicating record levels of warmth, compared to July of 2011, which was associated with a rank of 115. June also was warmer in 2012 (105-94) as were both May (117-28) and April (116-81).

Atmosphere & Situation Handling

Has umpire personality caused a decrease in ejections? On Monday, Adrian Johnson gave Mets batter Jordany Valdespin a lengthy rope after arguing a close play at first base, though for every such tale, there seems to be another filled with media-fueled controversy.

All in all, ejections are down—156 to 131 is concrete and clearly proves that, though the reasons for this decrease are multiple and, as always, open to a wide scope of interpretation.

Ejection 131: Jordan Baker (2)

HP Umpire Jordan Baker ejected Mets PH Daniel Murphy for arguing a strike call in the top of the 8th inning of the Mets-Nationals game. With two out and one on, Murphy took a 0-1 fastball from Nationals pitcher Michael Gonzalez for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate (px of -1.095), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Nationals were leading, 5-2. The Nationals ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Jordan Baker (71)'s second ejection of 2012.
Jordan Baker now has 1 points in the UEFL (3 Previous + 3 AAA + -1 Penalty + -4 Incorrect Call = 1).
Crew Chief Ted Barrett now has 0 points in the Crew Division (0 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 0).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 131st ejection of 2012.
This is the 56th player ejection of 2012. Prior to his ejection, Murphy was 0-1 in the contest.
This is the Mets' 7th ejection of 2012, 1st in the NL East (NYM 7; ATL 4; PHI 3; MIA 2; WSH 0).
This is Daniel Murphy's first career ejection.
This is Jordan Baker's first ejection since July 23 (Brandon Crawford; QOC = Irrecusable).
This is the 14th ejection since Monday, August 13.

Wrap: Mets at Nationals, 8/19/12
Video: After striking out to end the New York 8th, Murphy argues the K Zone and gets tossed (Soon)

Ejection 130: Brian O'Nora (2)

HP Umpire Brian O'Nora ejected Padres 3B Chase Headley for Unsportsmanlike-NEC in the bottom of the 4th inning of the Giants-Padres game. With one out and one on, Headley took a 1-0 fastball from Giants pitcher Jose Mijares for a called strike. Through replays indicate the pitch was located significantly off the outer edge of home plate (px of 1.249), Headley did not argue the call until two batters later, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Padres were leading, 3-1. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 7-1.

This is Brian O'Nora (7)'s second ejection of 2012.
Brian O'Nora now has 6 points in the UEFL (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 0 Irrecusable Call = 6).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 6 points in the Crew Division (5 Previous + 1 Irrecusable Call = 6).

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 130th ejection of 2012.
This is the 55th player ejection of 2012. Prior to his ejection, Headley was 0-3 in the contest.
This is the Padres' 4th ejection of 2012, T-2nd in the NL West (LAD 11; SD, SF 4; AZ, COL 2).
This is Chase Headley's first ejection since July 4, 2011 (Tim Timmons; QOC = Incorrect).
This is Jeff Nelson's first ejection since July 29 (Bobby Valentine; QOC = Correct).
This is the 13th ejection since Monday, August 13.

Wrap: Giants at Padres, 8/19/12
Video: Headley argues and is ejected by O'Nora en route to his defensive position after the 4th (Soon)