MLB Ejection 149 - Cory Blaser (3; Michael Brdar)

HP Umpire Cory Blaser ejected Tigers hitting coach Michael Brdar (strike three call to Jace Jung; QOCY) in the bottom of the 9th inning of the #Yankees-#Tigers game. With none out and none on, Tigers batter Jung took a 1-2 sweeper from Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and at the midpoint (px -0.47, pz 3.41 [sz_top 3.31 / RAD 3.43]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Yankees were leading, 3-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 3-0.

This is Cory Blaser (89)'s 3rd ejection of 2024.

*This pitch was located 1.20 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 149th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 23rd coach ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 75 Managers, 23 Coaches, 51 Players.

This is Detroit's 1st ejection of 2024, 5th in the AL Central (CWS 8; CLE, KC, MIN 2; DET 1).

This is Michael Brdar's first career MLB ejection.

This is Cory Blaser's 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since April 30 (Ha-Seon Kim; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers, 8/16/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejections 148 - Manny Gonzalez (3; George Springer)

HP Umpire Manny Gonzalez ejected Blue Jays RF George Springer (Replay Review decision that upheld Gonzalez's ball/HBP no-call; QOCN) in the top of the 7th inning of the #BlueJays-#Angels game. With one out and none on, Blue Jays batter George Springer took a 1-2 cutter from Angels pitcher Kenny Rosenberg for a called second ball, affirmed as no hit-by-pitch upon Replay Review as the result of a challenge by Blue Jays manager John Schneider. Replays indicate the pitch was located inside and appeared to touch Springer's foot in the batter's box, the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the Blue Jays were leading, 5-0. The Blue Jays ultimately won the contest, 6-1.

This is Manny Gonzalez (79)'s 3rd ejection of 2024.

This is the 148th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 51st player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 75 Managers, 22 Coaches, 51 Players.

This is Toronto's 9th ejection of 2024, 2nd in the AL East (NYY 10; TOR 9; BAL 5; TB 4; BOS 3).

This is George Springer's 1st ejection since August 10, 2023 (Jeremie Rehak; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Manny Gonzalez's 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 17 (Bob Melvin; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels, 8/13/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 147 - Erich Bacchus (3; Bruce Bochy)

HP Umpire Erich Bacchus ejected Rangers manager Bruce Bochy (strike three call to Wyatt Langford; QOCY) in the top of the 6th inning of the #Rangers-#RedSox game. With two out and the bases loaded, Rangers batter Langford took a 2-2 sweeper from Red Sox pitcher Lucas Sims for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.91, pz 1.56 [sz_bot 1.58 / RAD 1.46]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Red Sox were leading, 6-4. The Red Sox ultimately won the contest, 9-4.

This is Erich Bacchus (12)'s 5th ejection of 2024.

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

This pitch was located 0.03 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 147th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 75th manager ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 75 Managers, 22 Coaches, 50 Players.

This is Texas' 6th ejection of 2024, T-3rd in the AL West (HOU, SEA 7; OAK, TEX 6; LAA 4).

This is Bruce Bochy's 5th ejection of 2024, 1st since July 22 (Edwin Moscoso; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Erich Bacchus' 3rd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 6 (Mike Shildt; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox, 8/13/24 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 146 - Stu Scheurwater (5; Oliver Marmol)

HP Umpire Stu Scheurwater ejected Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (ball two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the #Cardinals-#Reds game. With one out and one on, Reds batter Spencer Steer took a 1-0 curveball from Reds pitcher Sonny Gray for a called second ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and near the hollow of the knee (px 0.65, pz 1.44 [sz_bot 1.52 / RAD 1.40 / MOE 1.48]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading, 3-1. The Reds ultimately won the contest, 6-1.

This is Stu Scheurwater (85)'s 5th ejection of 2024.

*This pitch was located 0.48 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 146th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 74th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 74 Managers, 22 Coaches, 50 Players.

This is St Louis' 6th ejection of 2024, T-2nd in the NL Central (MIL 7; PIT, STL 6; CHC 5; CIN 3).

This is Oliver Marmol's 4th ejection of 2024, 1st since July 13 (David Arrieta; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Stu Scheurwater's 5th ejection of 2024, 1st since August 8 (Bob Melvin; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds, 8/12/24 | Video as follows:

Calls of the Month - July 2024

Our Top 5 Calls of the Month for July 2024 follow umpires officiating bang-bang plays and having some difficulty with challenges and Replay Reviews.

5) Junior Valentine ball-glove-runner all arrive together on a quick hitter at 2nd!

4) John Libka (X 2) Nails a pair of SB Attempts in the same inning! 

3) Boston Loses its Challenge thanks to Laz Diaz. 

2) Ben May Correctly calls catch on a most difficult decision.

1) Junior Valentine nabs a batter leaning into a pitch.

Video as follows:

Padres Lose Game-Tying HR After Ball Hits Wall

What looked like Padres batter Ha-Seong Kim's game-tying home run vs Miami in the 9th inning turned into a double after Replay Review determined the ball that left the playing field failed to do so "in flight" and as such entitled the batter-runner to just two bases.

With two outs in the top of the 9th inning, and Miami leading San Diego 7-6, Padres batter Kim hit a 1-0 fastball from Marlins pitcher Andrew Nardi on a fly ball to deep left-center field where left fielder Kyle Stowers leapt to try and make a game-winning catch, only to see the ball bounce off the outfield wall, then his glove, before caroming over the wall.

Initially ruled a home run by 2B Umpire Scott Barry, Replay overturned the call to a double, which ultimately resulted in a Padres loss as Luis Campusano struck out swinging to end the game.

Should the home run have stood? Here is the rule used to justify the call.

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(a) discusses base awards, granting four bases for a fair ball that passes over a fence while giving just two bases for a bounding fair ball deflected by the fielder into the stands.

There is a specific MLB Umpire Manual interpretation on this point stating "a fair fly ball striking the top of the outfield wall and bounding over the wall shall be ruled a home run."

MLBUM continues, "A fair fly ball striking the top of the outfield wall and bounding back onto the playing field shall be treated the same as a fair fly ball that strikes the outfield wall and rebounds back onto the playing field (in play but may not be caught for the purposes of an out)".

Of similar importance, OBR defines "in flight" as "a batted, thrown, or pitched ball which has not yet touched the ground or some object other than a fielder."

Accordingly, because the fair fly ball struck the outfield fence and bounded back onto the playing field before then changing direction a second time upon hitting the fielder's glove and ultimately bouncing over the wall, it is deemed a ball rebounding onto the playing field and, thus, a double when the fielder deflected this now-bounding (and not "in flight") ball out of play.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 145 - Phil Cuzzi (2; William Contreras)

HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Brewers DH William Contreras (strike two call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Reds-#Brewers game. With one out and one on, Brewers batter Contreras took a 0-1 fastball from Reds pitcher Emilio Pagán for a called second strike before grounding into a double play. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and at the hollow of the knee (px 0.35, pz 1.76 [sz_bot 1.78 / RAD 1.66]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading, 4-3. The Reds ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Phil Cuzzi (10)'s 2nd ejection of 2024. 

*This pitch was located 2.16 vertical inches from being deemed incorrect.

This is the 145th ejection report of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 50th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 73 Managers, 22 Coaches, 50 Players.

This is Milwaukee's 7th ejection of 2024, 1st in the NL Central (MIL 7; PIT 6; CHC, STL 5; CIN 3).

This is William Contreras' first career MLB ejection.

This is Phil Cuzzi's 2nd ejection of 2024, 1st since June 3 (Pete Walker; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Cleveland Guardians vs Minnesota Twins, 8/10/24 | Video as follows:

Starting from Scratch - No David Bell, It's Not a Ball

When Cincinnati batter Elly De La Cruz stepped out of the batter's box during the middle of Brewers pitcher DL Hall's delivery, the Milwaukee pitcher stopped without throwing the baseball, drawing an argument from Reds manager David Bell, who claimed HP Umpire Phil Cuzzi should have called a pitch clock violation, illegal pitch, balk, or otherwise should have awarded an automatic ball to De La Cruz.

Here's why David Bell was wrong.

As we discussed in MLB Ejection 144 - Jim Wolf (2; Stephen Vogt), a batter's infraction cannot cause a balk (or other violation).

We know that Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(1), regarding start-stop balks, does not apply here, because there were no runners on base and the balk rule only applies "if there is a runner, or runners."

With the bases empty, a pitcher can start and stop delivery without penalty, provided they reset and are still able to start a new delivery prior to the expiration of the pitch clock.

However, OBR 5.04(b)(2) Comment, which explicitly applies to balks, also applies to the pitch clock: "If after the pitcher starts their windup or comes to a 'set position' with a runner on, they do not go through with their pitch because the batter has inadvertently caused the pitcher to interrupt their delivery, it shall not be called a balk. Both the pitcher and batter have violated a rule and the umpire shall call time and both the batter and pitcher start over from 'scratch.'" The primary issue for this scenario is, similar to the balk question, there are no runners on base.

OBR 5.04(b)(2) proper states, "The batter shall not leave their position in the batter’s box after the pitcher comes to Set Position, or starts their windup." De La Cruz violated this rule.

The reason the pitch timer is not explicitly mentioned in OBR 5.04 is that the pitch clock is not mentioned anywhere in the Official Baseball Rules—the clock is a policy document, not a rulebook addendum. That is why the start-from-scratch comment to the rule explicitly mentions a runner on base—because without runners, it is not illegal for a pitcher to start-stop, and the rulebook doesn't address the existence of the pitch clock ("clock" and "timer" do not appear in the Official Baseball Rules; those regulations are listed in a separate policy document).

This creates a vacuum of rules coverage, so to bring us to a fair and common sense resolution for this unique situation, we then refer to OBR 8.01(c), the elastic clause for umpires: "Each umpire has authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules."

Accordingly, with OBR 5.04(b)(2)'s starting over from scratch instruction for both a pitcher and a batter having "violated a rule"—which happened when De La Cruz stepped out of the box mid-pitch—and 8.01(c) allowing for common sense rules application, no penalty of an automatic ball (or strike) is imposed. The do-over just results in a complete reset.

Video as follows: