MLB Ejection 55 - DJ Reyburn (2; Joey Votto)

HP Umpire DJ Reyburn ejected Reds 1B Joey Votto (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Reds-#Cardinals game. With none out and none on, Votto took a 2-2 slider from Cardinals pitcher Rob Kaminsky for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.64, pz 2.27) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 7-1. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 7-1.

This is DJ Reyburn (17)'s second ejection of 2020.
DJ Reyburn now has 2 points in the UEFL Standings (-2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 2).
Crew Chief Laz Diaz now has -3 points in Crew Division (-4 Previous + 1 Correct Call = -3).

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

*This pitch was located 3.288 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 55th ejection report of the 2020 MLB regular season.

This is the 26th player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Votto was 1-4 (SO) in the contest.

This is Cincinnati's 7th ejection of 2020, 1st in the NL Central (CIN 7; PIT 4; CHC 3; MIL 2; STL 0).

This is Joey Votto's 3rd ejection of 2020, 1st since August 29 (Dan Bellino; QOC = U [Fighting]).

This is the DJ Reyburn's 2nd ejection of 2020, 1st since Aug 16 (Cameron Maybin; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 9/12/20 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 54 - Pat Hoberg (1; Bryan Holaday)

HP Umpire Pat Hoberg ejected Orioles PH Bryan Holaday (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Orioles-#Yankees game. With none out and one on, Holaday took a 3-2 fastball from Yankees pitcher Brooks Kriske for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px -0.43, pz 1.53 [sz_bot 1.53 / RAD 1.41]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Yankees were leading, 10-1. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 10-1, in 7 innings.

This is Pat Hoberg (31)'s first ejection of 2020.
Pat Hoberg now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Bill Welke now has 5 points in Crew Division (4 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 5).
*This pitch was located 2.47 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 54th ejection report of the 2020 MLB regular season.
This is the 25th player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Holaday was 0-1 (SO) in the contest.
This is Baltimore's 1st ejection of 2020, 4th in the AL East (NYY, TOR 4; TB 2; BAL 1; BOS 0).
This Bryan Holaday's first career MLB ejection.
This is Pat Hoberg's 1st ejection since Aug 27, 2019 (Justin Verlander; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees (Gm2), 9/11/20 | Video as follows:

Umps Care Charities Launches Modified 2020 Auction

When COVID-19 shut down the sports world in March, it looked as if @UmpsCare Charities would have to shut down its annual Spring auction with no more umpire lunches and real world experiences to bid on.

Instead, UMPS CARE adapted, launching a rare September auction on MLB.com with some coronavirus friendly modifications.

For instance, the usual in-person "Lunch with an Ump" item became a "Virtual Lunch" while retired MLB umpire Dale Scott pitched in with a most socially distant solution: a custom voicemail message.

UMPS CARE even threw in a nod to Close Call Sports and Gil's hockey career, what with a Mike Trout Mighty Ducks Bobblehead (no they didn't, it's entirely a coincidence).

Visit https://www.mlb.com/official-information/umpires/umpires-care through September 17 to bid!

MLB Ejection 53 - Doug Eddings (1; Max Muncy)

HP Umpire Doug Eddings ejected Dodgers 3B Max Muncy (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Dodgers-#Diamondbacks game. With one out and one on, Muncy took a 3-2 fastball from Dbacks pitcher Travis Bergen for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.09, pz 1.41 [sz_bot 1.54 / RAD 1.41 / MOE 1.33]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 5-2. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Doug Eddings (88)'s first ejection of 2020.
Doug Eddings now has 5 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 5).
Crew Chief Doug Eddings now has 0 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 Correct = 0).
*This pitch was located 1.00 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 53rd ejection report of the 2020 MLB regular season.
This is the 24th player ejection of 2020. Prior to ejection, Muncy was 0-5 (3 SO) in the contest.
This is Los Angeles' 4th ejection of 2020, 1st in the NL West (LAD 4; ARI, SD 2; COL 1; SF 0).
This is Max Muncy's 2nd ejection of 2020, 1st since Aug 19 (Mark Ripperger; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Doug Eddings' 1st ejection since July 19, 2019 (Bud Black; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 9/10/20 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 52 - John Libka (1; Scott Servais)

HP Umpire John Libka ejected Mariners Manager Scott Servais (strike two call; QOCN) in the top of the 8th inning of the #Mariners-#Giants game. With none out and none on, Mariners batter Evan White took a 0-1 changeup from Giants pitcher Jarlin Garcia. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px -0.60, pz 1.24 [sz_bot 1.58 / RAD 1.46 / MOE 1.37]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Giants were leading, 6-5. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 6-5.

This is John Libka (84)'s first ejection of 2020.
John Libka now has -1 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 AAA - 4 Incorrect Call = -1).
Crew Chief Adrian Johnson now has 6 points in Crew Division (6 Previous + 0 QOCN Call = 6).
*This pitch was located 1.56 vertical inches from being deemed a correct call.
History: MLB Ejection 195 - John Libka (3; Scott Servais) (9/11/19).

This is the 52nd ejection report of the 2020 MLB regular season.
This is the 22nd Manager ejection of 2020.
This is Seattle's 1st ejection of 2020, T-4th in the AL West (LAA, OAK 3; HOU 2; SEA, TEX 1).
This is Scott Servais' 1st ejection since Sept 25, 2019 (Sam Holbrook; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is John Libka's 1st ejection since Sept 11, 2019 (Scott Servais; QOC = N [Interference]).

Wrap: Seattle Mariners vs. San Francisco Giants, 9/8/20 | Video as follows:

2020 MLB COVID-19 Modified Umpire Crew Roster

With COVID-19 forcing MLB to modify its 2020 baseball season, the major leagues offered umpires the ability to opt out, while piecing together umpire taxi squads with minor league umps to fill in the gaps.

Crew list entries originally drafted prior to Spring Training had to be redrawn as umpires were reassigned to West, Central, and East travel divisions. Now, with MLB's shortened 2020 season in full swing, the following includes the modified 2020 crews. Visit our original 2020 MLB Umpire Crews (Delayed Season) posting to compare and contrast, noting how the crews changed over time.

2020 MLB Umpire Crews (Modified for Coronavirus Season)

Crew #	Crew Chief	Umpire 2	Umpire 3	Umpire 4
Crew 1	46 Kulpa, Ron	13 Tichenor, Todd	79 Gonzalez, Manny	96 Segal, Chris
Crew 2	39 Nauert, Paul	4 Fairchild, Chad	37 Torres, Carlos	52 Visconti, Jansen
Crew 3	3 Welke, Bill	49 Fletcher, Andy	31 Hoberg, Pat	18 De Jesus, Ramon
Crew 4	6 Carlson, Mark	92 Hoye, James	83 Estabrook, Mike	62 Whitson, Chad
Crew 5	27 Vanover, Larry	23 Barksdale, Lance	98 Conroy, Chris	86 Rackley, David
Crew 6	58 Iassogna, Dan	11 Randazzo, Tony	73 Gibson, Tripp	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 7	45 Nelson Jeff	54 Bucknor, CB	74 Tumpane, John	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 8	22 West, Joe	21 Wendelstedt, Hunter	19 Carapazza, Vic	85 Scheurwater, Stu
Crew 9	41 Meals, Jerry	15 Hickox, Ed	71 Baker, Jordan	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 10	14 Wegner, Mark	60 Foster, Marty	64 Porter, Alan	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 11	5 Hernandez, Angel	2 Bellino, Dan	93 Little, Will	59 Lentz, Nic
Crew 12	63 Diaz, Laz	95 Timmons, Tim	17 Reyburn, DJ	36 Blakney, Ryan
Crew 13	26 Miller, Bill	88 Eddings, Doug	30 Drake, Rob	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 14	72 Marquez, Alfonso	68 Guccione, Chris	89 Blaser, Cory	47 Morales, Gabe
Crew 15	65 Barrett, Ted	80 Johnson, Adrian	90 Ripperger, Mark	81 Wolcott, Quinn
Crew 16	77 Reynolds, Jim	28 Wolf, Jim	16 Barrett, Lance	[Triple-A Ump]
Crew 17	51 Hudson, Marvin	91 Knight, Brian	76 Muchlinski, Mike	78 Hamari, Adam
Crew 18	[Not Used]
Crew 19	[Not Used]
DL/IR	50 Emmel, Paul	53 Gibson, Greg		CloseCallSports.com

2020 Opt-Out Umpires List

Barry, Scott || Culbreth, Fieldin || Cuzzi, Phil || Danley, Kerwin || Davis, Gerry || Dreckman, Bruce || Gorman, Brian || Hallion, Tom || Holbrook, Sam || Layne, Jerry || O'Nora, Brian || Winters, Mike.

2020 Full-Time MLBU Umpires Injured After The List Was Finalized
> Tony Randazzo (injured July 19, 2020 in Chicago).
> Jim Wolf (injured August 1, 2020 in San Francisco).

Non-Ejection - Joe West Removes WAS GM Mike Rizzo

Four years after Washington GM Mike Rizzo confronted umpire Jim Joyce after a game in New York, HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt and Crew Chief Joe West called for Rizzo's removal/ejection during Sunday's Nationals-Braves game from the stands/club level several decks above the field at Atlanta's Truist Park.

History: In 2016, Rizzo confronted Jim Joyce after a game in New York following a slide rule interference call that went against Washington. The incident was reported to the league and reports noted that it wasn't Rizzo's first argument with umpires at Citi Field.
Related Post: Report - Nats GM Rizzo Confronts Jim Joyce After Game (7/8/16).

In 2011, Rizzo was suspended for a similar confrontation with officials and in 2012, he was fined for comments he made about Cole Hammels.

Vic Carapazza mirrors his crewmate.

The Play: Back in Atlanta, with two out and one on (R1) in the top of the 7th inning of Sunday's Nats-Braves game, Nationals batter Eric Thames took a 2-1 sinker from Braves pitcher Chris Martin, ruled a strike by HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, who turned toward the luxury suites at Truist Park and appeared to order the removal of Rizzo, stating, "You're done, you're out. We'll wait for you...Brian [Snitker], call security."

A maskless Rizzo yells back at the umpires.

Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -1.17, pz 2.67) [administrative note: there is no Quality of Correctness assigned for a non-ejection, see UEFL Rule 4]. At the time of West's removal request, the Braves were leading, 7-1. The Braves ultimately won the contest, 10-3.

Following Thames' subsequent swinging strikeout, Wendelstedt appeared to issue an equipment violation (fine) for Thames' spiking of his bat.

Joe steps aside to place a phone call.

Official Baseball Rule 8.01(b) grants umpires the authority to "order a player, coach, manager, or club officer or employee to do or or refrain from doing anything which affects the administering of these rules, and to enforce the prescribed penalties."

Rizzo as General Manager of the Nationals, would fall under a club officer, while West's request for assistance from Atlanta security would qualify under the employee category. As a Tier 2 employee, Rizzo under COVID-19 health and safety protocols would be expected to wear a mask or protective face covering in the ballpark, an observation West pointed out to Braves Manager Brian Snitker. Rizzo appeared to be the only occupant of his suite.

Prior to Sunday's game, Dan Bellino was the last umpire to request the removal of a non-uniformed person from a game, having called for security to escort a fan out of the stadium at Yankee Stadium for disrupting the game by calling out pitch locations during an at-bat.
Related Post: Dan Bellino Orders Fan Removed for Tipping Pitches (9/6/17).

On August 2, 2016, Bob Davidson requested security remove a Phillies fan for inappropriate conduct after the fan allegedly made homophobic comments, while Tim Welke called for the removal of a fan during a September 16, 2014 Nationals-Braves game in 2014 after the fan exhibited persistent vulgar behavior while profanely heckling then-National Bryce Harper.
Related Post: Unofficial Ejection - Bob Davidson Requests Fan Removal (8/2/16).
Related Post: Tim Welke Calls for Removal of Harper Heckler (9/16/14).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves, 9/6/20 | Video as follows: