MLB Ejections 116-7 - Junior Valentine, Manny Gonzalez (HOU x2)

2B Umpire Junior Valentine ejected Astros pitcher Ryne Stanek and HP Umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected manager Dusty Baker (balk call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Astros-#Dodgers game. With two out and two on (R2, R3) during Miguel Rojas' at-bat, Astros pitcher Stanek attempted to disengage the pitcher's plate and was called for a balk, resulting in Dodgers baserunner R3 Jonny Deluca scoring and R2 James Outman advancing to third base. At the time of the ejections, the Dodgers were leading, 8-7. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 8-7.

This is Junior Valentine (25)'s 4th ejection of 2023.

This is Manny Gonzalez (79)'s 5th ejection of 2023.

Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(1) states it is a balk when "The pitcher, while touching their plate, makes any motion naturally associated with their pitch and fails to make such delivery."

These are the 116th and 117th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 48th player ejection of 2023.

This is the 57th manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 57 Managers, 48 Players, 12 Coaches.

This is Houston's 2/3rd ejection of 2023, 5th in the AL West (OAK, TEX 5; LAA, SEA 4; HOU 3).

This is Ryne Stanek's first career MLB ejection.

This is Dusty Baker's 1st ejection since July 9, 2022 (Ben May; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Junior Valentine's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since May 5 (Oliver Marmol; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Manny Gonzalez's 5th ejection of 2023, 1st since June 21 (Bob Melvin; QOC = Y [Replay Review]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 6/24/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 115 - Mike Estabrook (1; Bryce Harper)

HP Umpire Mike Estabrook ejected Phillies DH Bryce Harper (check swing strike call on bunt attempt; QOCY) in the bottom of the 7th inning of the #Mets-#Phillies game. With none out and none on, Phillies batter Harper attempted to check his bunt on a 0-0 sweeper from Mets pitcher Brooks Raley, ruled a missed bunt attempt and strike one by HP Umpire Estabrook. At the time of the ejection, the Phillies were leading, 5-1. The Phillies ultimately won the contest, 5-1.

This is Mike Estabrook (83)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

This is the 115th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 47th player ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 56 Managers, 47 Players, 12 Coaches.

This is Philadelphia's 7th ejection of 2023, T-1st in the NL East (MIA, PHI 7; NYM 4; ATL, WAS 1).

This is Bryce Harper's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 14 (Ryan Wills; QOC = U [Fighting]).

This is Mike Estabrook's 1st ejection since September 11, 2021 (Raimel Tapia; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies, 6/23/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 112-4 - Lance Barrett (2-4; MIN x3)

HP Umpire Lance Barrett ejected Twins manager Rocco Baldelli (balk no-call; QOCY) in the top of the 2nd and Twins CF Michael A Taylor and assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Twins-#Tigers game. In the 2nd, with two out and two on, Baldelli repeatedly complained that Tigers pitcher Joey Wentz balked by failing to stop in Set Position. Replays indicate Wentz did stop in Set Position during delivery, the no-call was correct. At the time of the Baldelli ejection, the Twins were leading, 3-0.

In the 6th, with one out and two on, Taylor took a 3-2 slider from Tigers pitcher Brendan White for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner edge of home plate and above the knee (px -0.90, pz 1.87 [sz_bot 1.62]), the call was correct.* At the time of the latter two ejections, the Twins were leading, 4-0. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 4-1.

These are Lance Barrett (94)'s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ejections of 2023.

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

This pitch was located 0.17 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 112th, 113th, and 114th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 56th manager ejection of 2023. This is the 12th coach ejection of 2023.

This is the 46th player ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 56 Managers, 46 Players, 12 Coaches.

This is Minnesota's 6/7/8th ejection of 2023, 1st in the AL Central (MIN 8; CWS 6; KC 2; DET 1; CLE 0).

This is Rocco Baldelli's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since June 21 (David Rackley; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Michael A Taylor's first career MLB ejection.

This is Derek Shomon's first career MLB ejection.

This is Lance Barrett's 2/3/4th ejection of 2023, 1st since April 9 (Austin Barnes; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers, 6/23/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 111 - Doug Eddings (3; Dave Martinez)

HP Umpire Doug Eddings ejected Nationals manager Dave Martinez (ball one call to Carson Kelly after strike three to CJ Abrams; QOCY) in the top of the 5th inning of the #Diamondbacks-#Nationals game. With two out and two on in the bottom of the 4th, Nats batter Abrams took a 1-2 slider from D-Backs pitcher Tommy Henry for a called third strike. In the top of the 5th, D-Backs batter Kelly took a 0-0 sinker from Nats pitcher Jake Irvin for a called first ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the midpoint (px 0.51, pz 1.27 [sz_bot 1.61 / RAD 1.49), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 2-1. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Doug Eddings (88)'s 3rd ejection of 2023.

*This pitch was located 3.60 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 111th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 55th manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 55 Managers, 45 Players, 11 Coaches.

This is Washington's 1st ejection of 2023, T-4th in the NL East (MIA 7; PHI 6; NYM 4; ATL, WAS 1).

This is Dave Martinez's 1st ejection since June 17, 2022 (Dan Iassogna; QOC = N-c [Obstruction]).

This is Doug Eddings' 3rd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 6 (Matt Strahm; QOC = U [Anthem Standoff]).

Wrap: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Washington Nationals, 6/22/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 110 - Manny Gonzalez (4; Bob Melvin)

3B Umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected Padres manager Bob Melvin (Replay Review that overturned HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott's out call to safe due to a violation of the home plate collision rule; QOCY) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Padres-#Giants game. With two out and two on, Giants batter Joc Pederson hit a 0-0 cutter from Padres pitcher Yu Darvish on a ground ball to right fielder Fernando Tatis, who threw home as Giants baserunner R2 Blake Sabol attempted to score, ruled out by HP Umpire Wolcott. Upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Giants manager Gabe Kapler, Wolcott's out call was overturned to safe by virtue of a violation of the home plate collision (plate blocking) rule by Padres catcher Gary Sanchez. Replays indicate the catcher impeded the runner's pathway not in a legitimate attempt to field the throw, the call to overturn was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Giants were leading, 2-0. The Giants ultimately won the contest, 4-2.

This is Manny Gonzalez (79)'s 4th ejection of 2023.

*Official Baseball Rule 6.01(i)(2) states: "Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as they are attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. Not withstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field the throw."

This is the 110th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 54th manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 54 Managers, 45 Players, 11 Coahes.

This is San Diego's 4th ejection of 2023, T-2nd in the NL West (ARI 7; COL, SD 4; LAD 3; SF 0).

This is Bob Melvin's 3rd ejection of 2023, 1st since June 18 (Jim Wolf; QOC = U [Check Swing]).

This is Manny Gonzalez's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since June 12 (Isaac Paredes; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants, 6/22/23 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 108-9 - David Rackley (1-2; MIN x2)

HP Umpire David Rackley ejected Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and LF Joey Gallo (strike three call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 4th inning of the #RedSox-#Twins game. With two out and none on, Gallo took a 3-2 changeup from Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and belt-high (px -0.73, pz 2.87), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Twins were leading, 3-2. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 5-4, in 10 innings.

These are David Rackley (86)'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 2.21 horizontal inches from being deemed incorrect.

These are the 108th and 109th ejection reports of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 45th player ejection of 2023.

This is the 53rd manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 53 Managers, 45 Players, 11 Coaches.

This is Minnesota's 4/5th ejection of 2023, 2nd in the AL Central (CWS 6; MIN 5; KC 2; DET 1; CLE 0).

This is Rocco Baldelli's 3rd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 6 (Dan Iassogna; QOC = Y [Out of Base Path]).

This is Joey Gallo's 1st ejection since May 2, 2021 (Brian O'Nora; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is David Rackley's 1st ejection since July 4, 2022 (Tony La Russa; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Boston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins, 6/21/23 | Video as follows:

CCS AMA - Celebrating 30,000 Subscribers With a Q&A

To celebrate reaching 30,000 subscribers on our CloseCallSports YouTube channel, we're holding an Ask Me Anything (AMA) event wherein you can ask Lindsay & tmac anything you might want to know about Close Call Sports, baseball in general, or even our backgrounds in sports and beyond.

Please reply to this post with any questions you'd like to ask us for the upcoming AMA video and thanks for helping CCS grow to 30k!

MLB Ejection 107 - DJ Reyburn (4; Bruce Bochy)

HP Umpire DJ Reyburn ejected Rangers manager Bruce Bochy (Replay Review decision overturning Reyburn's out call to safe due to a violation of the home plate collision rule; QOCN) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Rangers-#WhiteSox game. With one on (R2) and two out, White sox batter Zach Remillard hit a 0-1 slider from Rangers pitcher Grant Anderson on a line drive to left fielder Travis Jankowski, who threw home as White Sox baserunner R2 Elvis Andrus arrived at home plate, ruled out by HP Umpire Reyburn. Upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, Reyburn's out call was overturned to safe by virtue of a violation of the home plate collision (plate blocking) rule by Rangers catcher Jonah Heim. Replays indicate the catcher did not appear to hinder or impede the runner's pathway and/or that the runner would have been called out notwithstanding the catcher having blocked the plate, the call to overturn was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the White Sox were leading, 7-6. The White Sox ultimately won the contest, 7-6.

This is DJ Reyburn (17)'s 4th ejection of 2023.

*Official Baseball Rule 6.01(i)(2) states: "Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as they are attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. Not withstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field the throw."

OBR 6.01(i)(2) Comment states: "A catcher shall not be deemed to have violated Rule 6.01(i)(2) unless they have both blocked the plate without possession the ball (or when not in a legitimate attempt to field the throw), and also hindered or impeded the progress of the runner attempting to score. A catcher shall not be deemed to have hindered or impeded the progress of the runner if, in the judgment of the umpire, the runner would have been called out notwithstanding the catcher having blocked the plate."

This is the 107th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 52nd manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 52 Managers, 44 Players, 11 Coaches.

This is Texas' 5th ejection of 2023, T-1st in the AL West (OAK, TEX 5; LAA, SEA 4; HOU 1).

This is Bruce Bochy's 3rd ejection of 2023, 1st since June 16 (Ramon De Jesus; QOC = U [Check Swing]).

This is DJ Reyburn's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since June 6 (Eric Chavez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Texas Rangers vs Chicago White Sox, 6/20/23 | Video as follows:

TCU Runner Pushed Off Base - But Still Out on Replay?

During the TCU vs Oral Roberts elimination game in the NCAA Men's College World Series, a TCU runner standing on third base was forced off and tagged by a fielder who had just tagged out another runner. Originally ruled safe by the 3B Umpire, the call was overturned after an Oral Roberts challenge to an out, despite the runner being pushed off the base. Why?

Although NCAA Rule 8-5-i's Note 2 states, "If in the judgement of an umpire, a runner is pushed or forced off a base by a fielder, intentionally or unintentionally, at which the runner would otherwise have been called safe, the umpire has the authority and discretion under the circumstances to return the runner to the base they were forced off following the conclusion of the play," when NCAA added that rule for the 2023 baseball season (and let's be honest, this interpretation is how every umpire officiated a push-off play across all levels even before 8-5-i-Note 2 was adopted), there was no accompanying change to college's Replay Review section.

Thus, this umpire "authority and discretion" call of a push or force-off remains a non-reviewable judgment call. Accordingly, because the umpire's on-field ruling was that the runner was safe at third base due to the runner having remained on third base and thus was never tagged while off his base, Replay Review did what replay does and reversed the call because technically the runner was tagged while off his base—he was just forced off the base and that's the reason for the tag.

But because the judgment call of push/force-off isn't reviewable, the out call prevailed...because the umpire ruled the runner safe at third due to the runner's remaining on the base, the umpire never thus made a ruling that the runner was pushed or forced off the base. Replay determined the runner was indeed tagged off the base, but because the judgment part of the rule (the forced off part) isn't reviewable...you get the idea.

Video as follows:

Ejected Manager Steals Base, Goes Into Stands

After an umpire's ejection, Sioux City manager Steve Montgomery picked up first base out of the ground and took it within him into the stands, just days after West Michigan skipper Brayan Peña hopped over an outfield wall and into the stands after being ejected during a Minor League game.

During Sunday's Sioux City Explorers vs Lincoln Saltdogs game in the American Association, Explorers manager Steve Montgomery argued a play at first base, earning an ejection from 1B Umpire Roberto Pattison. After the ejection, Montgomery picked up first base and carried the bag to the left field corner, where a fan signed the base. Then, Montgomery walked into the stands in left-center field and gave the base to a child, before walking off, presumably toward the clubhouse.

Unfortunately for the kid, Lincoln staff retrieved and returned the base to the field, although Lincoln did make sure to toss the kid a baseball for his base retention efforts.

Meanwhile, in Friday's Whitecaps-Captains MiLB (High A) game, HP Umpire Hobuoki Yasuta ejected Whitecaps manager Brayan Peña, who similarly ventured into the stands after getting run.

Let's hope neither league has a malice in the palace rule.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 106 - Jim Wolf (1; Bob Melvin)

3B Umpire Jim Wolf ejected Padres manager Bob Melvin (check swing ball four call) in the top of the 7th inning of the #Rays-#Padres game. With two out and one on, Rays batter Wander Franco attempted to check his swing on a 3-2 sweeper from Padres pitcher Steven Wilson, ruled ball four by HP Umpire Mike Muchlinski and affirmed as no swing on appeal by 3B Umpire Wolf. At the time of the ejection, the Padres were leading, 5-2. The Padres ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

This is Jim Wolf (28)'s 1st ejection of 2023.

This is the 106th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 51st manager ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 51 Managers, 44 Players, 11 Coaches.

This is San Diego's 3rd ejection of 2023, T-3rd in the NL West (ARI 7; COL 4; LAD, SD 3; SF 0).

This is Bob Melvin's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 11 (Brock Ballou; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Jim Wolf's 1st ejection since August 21, 2021 (Eric Duncan; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Tampa Bay Rays vs San Diego Padres, 6/18/23 | Video as follows: