MLB Ejections 025-26 - Dan Merzel (1-2; MIA x2)

HP Umpire Dan Merzel ejected Marlins CF Jazz Chisholm Jr and manager Skip Schumaker (strike two call to Garrett Cooper; QOCY) in the top of the 5th inning of the #Marlins-#Guardians game. With none out and none on, Cooper took a 0-1 fastball from Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.83, pz 2.05), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejections, the game was tied, 1-1. The Marlins ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

These are Dan Merzel (107)'s 1st and 2nd ejections of 2023.

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

This pitch was located 1.01 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

^The strike zone boundary is 0.831. This pitch received a px value of 0.830.

These are the 25th and 26th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 11th player ejection of 2023.

This is the 12th manager ejection of 2023.

This is Miami's 2/3rd ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL East (MIA 3; PHI 2; ATL, NYM 1; WAS 0).

This is Jazz Chisholm's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since April 9 (Jeff Nelson; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Skip Schumaker's 1st ejection since July 24, 2021 (Doug Eddings; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Dan Merzel's 1st ejection since August 26, 2022 (Scott Servais; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Miami Marlins vs Cleveland Guardians (Game 2), 4/22/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 024 - Vic Carapazza (1; Ramon Urias)

HP Umpire Vic Carapazza ejected Orioles 3B Ramon Urias (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Tigers-#Orioles game. With two out and none on, Urias took a 1-2 fastball from Tigers pitcher Will Vest for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.89, pz 2.14), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Orioles were leading, 5-0. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

This is Vic Carapazza (19)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

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

*This pitch was located 0.29 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 24th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 10th player ejection of 2023.

This is Baltimore's 3rd ejection of 2023, 1st in the AL East (BAL 3; NYY 1; BOS, TB, TOR 0).

This is Ramon Urias' first career MLB ejection.

This is Vic Carapazza's 1st ejection since Sept 4, 2022 (Aaron Boone; QOC = N [Catcher's INT]).

Wrap: Detroit Tigers vs Baltimore Orioles, 4/22/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 023 - Alex Tosi (1; Bud Black)

HP Umpire Alex Tosi ejected Rockies manager Bud Black (HBP call; QOCU) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Rockies-#Phillies game. With none out and two on (R1, R2), Phillies batter JT Realmuto took a 1-2 sinker from Rockies pitcher Noah Davis for a hit by pitch, called by HP Umpire Tosi. Replays do not conclusively indicate whether or not the batter was struck by the ball, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Rockies were leading, 3-0. The Phillies ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Alex Tosi (66)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

This is the 23rd ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 11th manager ejection of 2023.

This is Colorado's 2nd ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL West (LAD, COL 2; ARI, SD 1; SF 0).

This is Bud Black's 1st ejection since August 2, 2022 (John Tumpane; QOC = N-c [Replay Review]).

This is Alex Tosi's 1st ejection since June 6, 2022 (Rocco Baldelli; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies, 4/21/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 022 - Dan Bellino (1; Robert Van Scoyoc)

HP Umpire Dan Bellino ejected Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc (strike two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Mets-#Dodgers game. With two out and two on (R1, R2), Dodgers batter Miguel Vargas took a 2-1 cutter from Mets pitcher David Robertson for a called second strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and above the hollow of the knee (px -0.41, pz 1.60 [sz_bot 1.65 / RAD 1.53]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Mets were leading, 3-2. The Mets ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Dan Bellino (2)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 1.84 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 22nd ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 3rd non-manager coach ejection of 2023.

This is Los Angeles' 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st in the NL West (LAD 2; ARI, COL, SD 1; SF 0).

This is Robert Van Scoyoc's 1st ejection since Aug 19, 2020 (Mark Ripperger; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Dan Bellino's 1st ejection since May 4, 2022 (Madison Bumgarner; QOC = U [USC-NEC]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 021 - Will Little (2; Phil Nevin)

1B Umpire Will Little ejected Angels manager Phil Nevin (check swing strike three call) in the top of the 9th inning of the #Angels-#Yankees game. With two out and two on (R1, R2), Angels batter Mike Trout attempted to check his swing on a 3-2 slider from Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes, ruled a ball by HP Umpire Lance Barksdale and called a swinging strike on appeal by 1B Umpire Little. At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 2-2. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 3-2, in 10 innings.

This is Will Little (93)'s 2nd ejection of 2023.

This is the 21st ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 10th manager ejection of 2023.

This is Los Angeles' 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the AL West (HOU, LAA, OAK, TEX 1; SEA 0).

This is Phil Nevin's 1st ejection since September 12, 2022 (Ron Kulpa; QOC = U [Denied Warmups]).

This is Will Little's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since April 15 (Oliver Marmol; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs New York Yankees of New York, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 020 - Adam Beck (1; Bryan Reynolds)

HP Umpire Adam Beck ejected Pirates LF Bryan Reynolds (strike one and two calls; QOCN) in the top of the 5th inning of the #Pirates-#Rockies game. With two out and two on (R2, R3), Reynolds took called first and second strikes from Rockies pitcher Jake Bird. Replays indicate the called first strike was located over the outer edge of home plate and above the midpoint (px -0.82, pz 3.27 [sz_bot 3.05 / RAD 3.17 / MOE 3.25) and the called second strike was located off the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px -1.08, pz 2.41), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Pirates were leading, 9-1. The Pirates ultimately won the contest, 14-3.

This is Adam Beck (38)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

This is the 20th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 9th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Reynolds was 0-4 (3 SO).

This is Pittsburgh's 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL Central (CIN, PIT, STL 1; CHC, MIL 0).

This is Bryan Reynolds' 1st ejection since August 16, 2022 (Roberto Ortiz; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Adam Beck's 1st ejection since September 16, 2022 (Myles Straw; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Colorado Rockies, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 019 - Erich Bacchus (2; David Bell)

HP Umpire Erich Bacchus ejected Reds manager David Bell (ball call; ejection no-call for wild pitch) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Rays-#Reds game. With one on (R1) and two out, Reds batter Stuart Fairchild took three pitches from Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks for balls one, two, and three. Replays indicate the first pitch, a fastball, was located head-high and behind the batter, while the third pitch, a fastball, was located head-high and inside. Reds manager Bell wanted Fairbanks ejected for a lack of pitcher control and was ejected after exiting the dugout and being warned to stop, the call was irrecusable.* At the time of the ejection, the Rays were leading, 8-0. The Rays ultimately won the contest, 8-0.

This is Erich Bacchus (12)'s 2nd ejection of 2023.

*Official Baseball Rule 6.02(c)(9) [Intentionally Pitch at the Batter] states: "If, in the umpire’s judgment, such a violation occurs, the umpire may elect either to expel the pitcher, or the manager and the pitcher from the game, or warn the pitcher and the manager of both teams that another such pitch will result in the immediate expulsion of that pitcher and the manager." OBR 6.02(c)(9) does not allow the umpire the right to eject a pitcher simply for lacking control: it must be an intentional act.

This is the 19th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 9th manager ejection of 2023.

This is Cincinnati's 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL Central (CIN, STL 1; CHC, MIL, PIT 0).

This is David Bell's 1st ejection since Sept 10, 2023 (Jeff Nelson; QOC = Y-c [Check Swing]).

This is Erich Bacchus' 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since April 15 (Bruce Bochy; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Tampa Bay Rays vs Cincinnati Reds, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 018 - Adam Hamari (2; Mark Kotsay)

HP Umpire Adam Hamari ejected A's manager Mark Kotsay (pitch clock violation: automatic strike three call) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #Cubs-#Athletics game. With none out and none on, A's batter Aledmys Diaz, with a 2-2 count against Cubs pitcher Justin Steele, was called for an automatic strike for failing to be in the batter's box and alert to the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on the pitch clock. Replays indicate Diaz was not within the batter's box at the required time of eight seconds and although he appeared injured, he had not informed Hamari and had also previously used his one allotted "Time" request earlier during the at-bat, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Cubs were leading, 1-0. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 12-2.

This is Adam Hamari (78)'s 2nd ejection of 2023.

This is the 18th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 8th manager ejection of 2023.

This is Oakland's 1st ejection of 2023, T-1st in the AL West (HOU, OAK, TEX 1; LAA, SEA 0).

This is Mark Kotsay's 1st ejection since August 21, 2022 (Bill Miller; QOC = N [Check Swing]).

This is Adam Hamari's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since April 15 (PJ Pilittere; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs Oakland Athletics, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 017 - Phil Cuzzi (1; Max Scherzer)

1B Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Mets pitcher Max Scherzer (failed illegal substance check; repeat failure) in the 4th inning of the #Mets-#Dodgers game. While performing his MLB-mandated foreign substance inspection in the 3rd inning, 1B Umpire Cuzzi instructed Scherzer to clean his hands. When Cuzzi inspected Scherzer's hands in the 4th inning, Scherzer's hand was deemed to still be violative of the rules; Scherzer was thus ejected for violating the league's illegal substance policy, the call was irrecusable.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Mets ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Phil Cuzzi (10)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

*Crew Chief Dan Bellino in postgame comments stated: "The level of stickiness on his hand was much worse than it was even in the initial inspection that had taken place two innings prior...this was the stickiest that it has been since I've been inspecting hands, which now goes back three seasons. It was so sticky that when we touched his hand, our fingers were sticking to his hand."

Official Baseball Rule 6.02(c)(7) states, "The pitcher shall not have on their person, or in their possession, any foreign substance."

Related Ejection: MLB Ejection 013 - James Hoye (1; Rocco Baldelli) [Germán] (4/15/23).

This is the 17th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 8th player ejection of 2023. Prior to ejection, Scherzer's line was 3.0 IP, 0 R.

This is New York's 1st ejection of 2023, T-2nd in the NL East (PHI 2; ATL, MIA, NYM 1; WAS 0).

This is Max Scherzer's 1st ejection since Sept 11, 2022 (Chad Fairchild; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

This is Phil Cuzzi's 1st ejection since August 4, 2022 (Gabe Kapler; QOC = U [USC-NEC]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 4/19/23 | Video as follows:

Cardinals Runner Overruns Second Base and is Safe Despite Being Tagged - Did Replay Get it Wrong?

With the bases loaded and two out, Cardinals runner R1 Taylor Motter sensed that a force out at second base would negate a potential St Louis run and opted to run through the base, ruled out by 2B Umpire Adrian Johnson. For good measure, Diamondbacks 2B Ketel Marte tagged Motter's leg past second base, but Replay Review upon Oli Marmol's challenge curiously ruled Motter safe on all accounts, allowing the inning to continue with the bases loaded. Was this the correct call?

Cardinals batter Lars Nootbaar grounded to Arizona shortstop Nick Ahmed, who threw from the hole to Marte at second base, resulting in a bang-bang play as Motter arrived as Marte stepped on the bag. After the play, Cardinals manager Marmol challenged 2B Umpire Johnson's force out call and Replay Review overturned the ruling, finding that baserunner R1 Motter did indeed beat Marte to second base.

However, despite the fact that Marte clearly tagged Motter's thigh past second base, the Replay Official failed to declare Motter out, allowing baserunner R3 Tyler O'Neill to score while depriving us of a time play that was similarly quite close.

The bigger issue here is that Replay's decision to effectively kill play after the third out and disregard the tag that clearly and obviously occurred after the incorrect force out call at second base runs in contrast to how MLB has treated overturned third outs in the past. For instance, the Mets in 2018 ran what we call a "false fourth out" play, in which a catcher after tagging a runner out for the apparent third out continued playing, throwing the ball to third base for another tag and another (false fourth) out. In that game, Replay overturned the out at the plate, but allowed the out at third base to stand, ending the inning.
Related Post: False Fourth Out - Ball Stays Alive After Third Out (7/25/18).

Thus, it would appear that this is a case not of Replay disregarding the continuous action (tag beyond second base) that occurred after the force out attempt due to the ball becoming dead at the third out, but more likely Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo failed to challenge the tag beyond second base that occurred after the force out—a type of false fourth out.

The logic and precedent suggests that either Replay Review has gone rogue on baseball's prior interpretation of this situation or that Lovullo simply didn't get the job done for his team.

Video as follows:

Bickford Balk in Mets-Dodgers and the Double Step

Upon entering a bases loaded jam vs New York, Dodgers relief pitcher Phil Bickford immediately balked in a Mets run, with HP Umpire Mark Ripperger explaining to Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts after the play why the balk was called. With history repeating itself—albeit in a different but equally illegal way—we revisit the Carter Capps rule that explicitly outlaws Bickford's footwork.

With none out and the bases loaded, Roberts substituted Bickford into the game. Ahead of his first pitch to Mets batter Francisco Lindor, Bickford working out of Set Position appeared to step twice with his free foot while transitioning from the stretch. Ripperger immediately pointed to the balk infraction, but allowed Bickford to continue with his pitch, which was taken by Lindor. Afterward, Ripperger enforced the balk penalty by awarding all baserunners one base, allowing Mets runner R3 Tomas Nido to score.

Important Baseball Rules Difference: The ball remains live during a balk in professional (OBR) and college (NCAA) baseball. If the batter and runners advance a base during the balk pitch, the balk is ignored and the result of the play stands. The ball is immediately dead when a balk occurs in high school (NFHS) baseball and no subsequent hit (even a home run) shall be counted.

Although Official Baseball Rule 5.07(a) is most associated with Capps' famous pivot foot crow hop maneuver during actual pitch delivery, OBR 5.07(a) is also written in such a way that a second step with the free foot also runs afoul of the rule: "The pitcher may not take a second step toward home plate with either foot or otherwise reset his pivot foot in their delivery of the pitch. If there is a runner, or runners, on base it is a balk under Rule 6.02(a); if the bases are unoccupied it should be treated as an illegal pitch under Rule 6.02(b)."

Even if the toward home plate portion of this rule were to be debated, this play could be balked under OBR 6.02(a)(1): "The pitcher, while touching their plate, makes any motion naturally associated with their pitch and fails to make such delivery."

Video as follows:

Consecutive Catcher's Interference Calls Doom Angels

Consecutive catcher's interference awards against Angels catcher Matt Thais helped Boston rally to beat LA at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox benefiting from a baseball rule not usually seen at the MLB level but enforced two times in the 8th inning by HP Umpire Cory Blaser.

Blaser actually had three different catcher's interference calls in the same game: one against Red Sox catcher Connor Wong during Angels batter Shohei Ohtani's 2nd inning at-bat and two catcher's interferences against Angels catcher Thais during Boston batter Raimel Tapia and Reese McGuire's 8th inning at-bats to produce two consecutive Boston baserunners awarded their bases due to the same rules infraction.

Catcher's interference (CI in OBR, NCAA; known as obstruction in NFHS) ordinarily occurs when a batter's bat makes contact with a catcher's mitt during a swing attempt and is defined as a defensive infraction which prevents a batter from hitting a pitched ball. The default penalty for catcher's interference is a dead ball and first base award for the batter, although in some cases the interference can be ignored after-the-fact.

For example, if the batter despite the catcher's interference hits a home run, the interference is ignored and the home run stands. If the batter hits a sacrifice fly, the offensive team manager can choose to accept the default catcher's interference penalty (an award of first base, runners return) or to decline the penalty and accept the result of the play (sacrifice fly, run scores).

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(3) formally declares this: "The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when the catcher or any fielder interferes with them. If a play follows the interference, the manager of the offense may advise the plate umpire that they elect to decline the interference penalty and accept the play. Such election shall be made immediately at the end of the play."

The catcher's box extends eight feet in back of the point of home plate, and the lines are considered part of the box: catchers can back up if they feel they are too close to the batter in an attempt to avoid interfering with the batter's swing.

Video as follows: