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| Butler, Baker share a disagreement over location. |
This is Jordan Baker (71)'s third ejection of 2013.
Jordan Baker now has 9 points in the UEFL (6 Previous + 3 AAA + 0 Irrecusable Call = 9).
Crew Chief Dana DeMuth now has 2 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (1 Previous + 1 Irrecusable Call = 2).
This is the 70th ejection of 2013.
This is the 32nd player ejection of 2013. Prior to his ejection, Butler was 0-3 in the contest.
This is the Royals' 3rd ejection of 2013, 2nd in the AL Central (CLE 5; KC 3; CWS, DET, MIN 1).
This is Billy Butler's 2nd ejection of 2013 and first since May 26 (Marty Foster; QOC = U).
This is Jordan Baker's first ejection since June 5 (Alan Trammell; QOC = U).
Wrap: Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals, 6/11/13
Video: Butler strikes out to begin the 9th and is ejected for arguing the call all the way to the dugout (KC)
44 comments :
How do you let that pitch go with a 3-2 count?
Similar to the Paul Emmel- Joe Girardi ejection a few years ago where Dreckman comes in to break it up and Joe tells him to take a hike. DeMuth comes in and Yost tells him to go away.
I don't see how MLB still is letting this guy ump. I would hire Tumpane,Fagan or Kline.
This guy really needs to improve overall as an umpire.
Because he called an inside pitch a strike?
Cause that's all you got -- the ejection was by the book and necessary and handled exactly right.
I don't think there's anything egregious with calling that pitch a strike, but there's something about Baker that just makes him look....sloppy? Lethargic? I dunno, I can't really find the word I'm looking for, but I think that gives the general idea. I haven't seen him work, other than a few highlights / the gum throwing nonsense, but he's been up all year so he must be doing something right.
I would like to challenge. I was watching the game when this happened. Yes, Butler argued all the way from the plate to the dugout. But even Butler said in his post game interview, that he went and saw the replay and that is when he got mad and run.
He walked into the clubhouse, walked out and then ejected for continuing to argue. I believe that would make this a second visit and irricuseable (sic?)
Kline? You must be a friend of his... He isn't even eligible to work MLB games yet!
But Rich he's giving the umps a bad rep by getting to much tv time. Like the gum problem and all of his bad calls. To me he seems like a prick and thinks he knows everything. We don't need that in the ML
He started arguing at the plate.
Only know him by watxhing him when he was in the Southern League and came to Birmingham. But still WHEN he becomes eligible, he will be hired. One of the best rising starts in umpiring today. And u can ask Russ about Kline.
This is true. But sadly not shown on the video, he walks into the clubhouse, watches the video, comes out and is run. MLBNetwork had ot on MLBTonight on their diamond cam. This should be USC-NEC
Watch the video. He actually appologizes to Butler. I think he knew it was a bad pitch. It is why Butler didn't get run at the dish.
becuase its a ball..
Kline?
When you're losing in the ninth inning you swing the darn bat.
I was watching live and Jordan took a lot of crap from Butler because he knew he screwed up. Not only that, but it was the 9th inning with the tying run at 2nd base. HUGE SITUATION that cannot be repeated if he has a full-time job.
So from seeing him in AA you think he is a rising star? Lots of work between there and the big leagues? Not to mention a lot of other umpires who you can call rising stars also.
6-2-b-5-b defines a visit as "[leaving] the dugout or his position to argue a call with an umpire." Since Butler was ejected before leaving the dugout a second time I don't think that counts as a second visit under current UEFL rules, even if he went back into the clubhouse to see a replay.
If you are correct (hopefully for me you are not) I still had to try. Baker is one of my primaries so even if the appeal was to be looked at I would not be voting on it.
I mean, I'd look at it. I think it's worthy of a challenge.
You're right about Kline -- he's a very good umpire.
In this particular case, Baker knows he missed the pitch. Just interesting, because his timing wasn't off. But the situation was handled well.
Rich what team do you cheer for? I tend to agree with what you say about 90% of the time. Do you have a favorite umpire?
The Phillies - I grew up near Philadelphia.
I'm a big fan of Tim Timmons -- here's why. I was on a flight with him last year (he was home and heading to a game somewhere) and I noticed his bag tag (that had a big MLB logo and his name) and I went up and introduced myself on the way off the plane. We talked for 10-15 minutes in the concourse and ever since I've been looking to see what series he's working and picked him for the UEFL that reason this year. Such a nice guy who really seemed interested in talking with an amateur umpire.
Looking at Pitch F/X, the pitch to Butler was 0.1 feet (1.2 inches) inside. That's a close, close pitch, considering the margin of error. Of course I'd call that a strike all day in the games I work. :)
BAPACOP
You can't be serious that that was a pitch you need to swing at. It was a breaking ball in at the hands that missed in. That pitch was in and he Butler knew it. He made the right decision to not swing. It was not a good hitting pitch nor was it a strike.
I would be the first person to defend an official on borderline pitches (especially late), but Jordan Baker is indefensible in this situation.
I'll be clear: I have not and in no way am saying that the game situation somehow makes the call correct. It does not. I am merely pointing out that a batter with two strikes on him, in any situation, should be swinging the bat and attempting to, at the very least, foul off anything close. This is even more true when you are losing in the final inning of the game.
Does it change the fact that the call was wrong? No. Baker blew it, I'm not arguing that and am not attempting to defend him. It's just basic baseball: Butler shouldn't be keeping his bat on his shoulder in this situation.
Respectfully Disagree. At the MLB level your good enough to know that pitch (especially with its trajectory) was a ball
I've seen way too many players get caught looking on fastballs right over the heart of the plate to believe that.
Thank you. I think my argument only will work if anyone can find the MLB Network video of the Royals dugout where he goes into the tunnel, comes back out to yell at Baker, and then gets run. That or the post game interview where he says as much.
Gee, thanks for the tip. I usually am the first person to give credit for good calls, but Jordan has blown a few calls this year, and his DISGUSTING gum habit pushes it over the line for me. Umpires improve (CB Bucknor, for example). Some don't (Angel Hernandez, for example). You're entitled to disagree with me, as I most certainly (and assiduously) do with you. Thanks!
Well, the gum thing was truly bizarre, but I'm looking at this as one incident, one ejection, one pitch. And it's not *that* horrendous of a call -- not when the player needed to go back to the dugout, watch a video to confirm he's right, and then get chunked from the dugout.
Trust me, arguing balls and strikes is like pissing into the wind, I know that. It does not take Sherlock Holmes to figure that out, Larry Holmes could get that. -) What gets me is when umpires make a string of questionable calls (which Baker has so far this year). Add in the gum thing and it leads to unwanted attention.
My favorite umpire is Alfonso Marquez, but he butchered a call a couple weeks ago b/c he failed to get into good position in a timely fashion. Even the best umpires (Jim Joyce) make mistakes! I just get upset when they do it repeatedly.
I also get upset when they fail to protect players (as in the LA/ARZ game the other night).
ever hear of the phrase "protect the plate"? probably got grilled into you as a player when you were a kid, or heard coaches tell it to players.
So, do we have a challenge here, or not? Gil?
Klein received the HP Assignment for the World Futures Game a few years back, I believe. That's a big sign.
There have also been a lot of guys work that event who never went to fall league or see a MLB field. It is choosen by the league president not MLB. There are much better younger umpires out there such as Gibson, Hamari, Little, Buckminster... These guys you should look out for.
This ruling has been challenged and is under review by the UEFL Appeals Board.
Yes, we're under review.
,maybe it's because he looks about 16 years old. (nothing he can do about that),
In re 070 Baker 3
After review, the Original Ruling has been reversed in a 3-1-0 decision by the UEFL Appeals Board. Three Appeals Board members voted to overturn the Original Ruling while one elected to confirm it.
Majority Opinion, Turducken:
I'm going to overturn. After the game, Butler opined "...I came back and looked at it again, and it was even more (inside) than I thought it was." ... Baker missed the pitch (it was inside) and Butler argued at the plate. If you have to go to video review to determine whether the call was correct or not, that's an automatic ejection and technically, a second argument. Repeat visits are classified as unsportsmanlike conduct, hence my decision to overturn the call of incorrect to irrecusable.
Dissenting Opinion, tmac:
I vote to confirm. He was ejected for arguing when returning to the dug out. Aren't all ejections unsportsmanlike? I'm not totaly believing Butler, either.... he saw the pitch within seconds of being rung up..... then came back in that same minute.... to argue more. Hmmmm something doesn't add up here. Now i have to read a players mind to see whether he might be lying in the post game comments in order to make himself not look like a hot head for getting ejected.
Therefore, the Board affirms the Original Ruling.
Confirmed: tmac
Upheld: -
Overturned: RichMSN, yawetag, Turducken
Deferred: -
Abstained: Gil (posted Original Ruling), Jeremy (deployment), BT_Blue (owns Baker)
I believe this decision by the Appeals Board is in direct violation of UEFL Rule 6-2-b-5-b. The rule defines a "visit" as "a manager, coach, or player [leaving] the dugout or his position to argue a call with an umpire." Since Butler was ejected from the dugout his actions do not constitute a "visit" as defined by the rule.
I can't speak for the rest of the board -- but when you enter the clubhouse area to view a replay of what just happened, you have left the dugout area. The buck stops with video, for me. Unless blatantly missed, any use of video review will almost certainly lead to an ejection.
I agree that this SHOULD be considered Irrecusable, but under UEFL rules as they are currently written it CAN'T be. The repeat visit rule requires leaving the dugout to be done to argue with the umpire, and in this situation that is simply not what happened; he left to view a replay. Under the rules that does not constitute a "visit" and therefore can't be considered a repeat visit ejection.
What needs to happen is the addition of a new rule after the season ends regarding players viewing replays and being ejected from the dugout. Right now, unless I am missing something, no UEFL rule allows for what happened in this ejection to be considered Irrecusable.
... That's the thing, though. He removed himself from the bench to the clubhouse to review video. When he went to review the video, I considered that the second argument.
Had he not continued his argument from the bench, the call would have stood.
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