Getty Image / Mark Blinch
Umpires have had it rough this year throughout the MLB season but it’s not like they’re totally innocent either.
We’ve seen some wild calls being made and it’s led to some surprising ejections. That certainly seemed to be the case on Tuesday night as well.
The Toronto Blue Jays were going up against the San Diego Padres and pitching coach Pete Walker felt it was necessary to visit Alek Manoah on the mound.
It’s been a rough season for Manoah and things weren’t going his way early in the game. So it makes sense why Walker wanted to talk to him.
However, the Blue Jays pitching coach has built up a reputation, as he’s well known for letting the umpires know what’s on his mind.
But during this trip to the mound, Walker was talking with Manoah with his hand over his mouth while the umpire walked up to the mound visit and started eavesdropping on the conversation.
That’s when things went south, as Pete Walker was suddenly ejected even though he didn’t even glance at the ump. Jomboy Media shares the clip of the bizarre ejection.
Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker wasn’t even looking at the umpire when he got ejected 😭pic.twitter.com/KBFfwqRD3R
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 18, 2023
Now, to be fair, we have no idea what Walker may, or may not have said. For all we know, he was insulting the umpire from the jump. Just something to keep in mind regarding this situation.
Regardless, it’s kind of wild to see an umpire throw someone out who isn’t talking directly to them. MLB fans certainly didn’t like the scene in Toronto on Tuesday night either.
I'm so sick of going to the ballpark to watch umps, only for games to get in the way.
— Ian Hopkins🟧 (@ihoplad) July 19, 2023
Som fans think something fishy was going on.
He also immediately went over to break it up. They’re supposed to wait for like 10 seconds
— Blue Jays Express (@BlueJaysExpress) July 19, 2023
The umpire certainly isn’t innocent either.
Even though all 3 runs in the game so far were results of blown calls.
— Aeriyah (@AeriyahStream) July 19, 2023
On the other hand, the announcers weren’t shocked by the ejection call. So, maybe it was warranted after all.
Lol as if you have to look at someone to curse them out. Walker was so obvious about it, even the announcers knew what he was doing
— Jenn Waters (@jenn_waters6) July 19, 2023
I’m sure this won’t be the last bizarre ejection we’ll see this season, as we still have plenty of baseball left.
But this scenario is just another example of why fans are asking for robot umps. If these umpires don’t want to be replaced, they have to start making the right calls much more often.