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San Francisco manager Bob Melvin’s day ended before it began on Sunday as he landed an ejection before first pitch. Melvin was seen expressing some unhappiness with the crew while turning in his lineup cards ahead of a series-ending matchup against the rival Rockies.
The early exit might’ve sparked the Giants offense after having lost back-to-back games following the conclusion of the All-Star break. Still, it offered a comical Sunday afternoon scene.
Melvin has been critical of the officiating throughout the weekend, calling this umpiring crew out on at least one occasion.
During Friday’s game, the manager referenced two separate incidents which he believes affected the outcome of the contest.
One involved Rockies hitter Elias Diaz being dealt a pitch up and in while facing an 0-2 count. That delivery may or may not have grazed Diaz’s wrist, though the Colorado slugger himself said the ball never made contact.
Despite his confession, he was awarded first base. The next batter drove Diaz in with a two-run homer.
Another point of criticism came after a first base umpire robbed Brett Wisely of a base knock.
Brett Wisely had a hit taken away after the ball hit the first-base umpire 😬 pic.twitter.com/HUqeq5DAh2
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 20, 2024
“The phantom hit by pitch, or the play at first?” Melvin replied when asked about frustrating moments of that 7-3 loss. “It adds up. They got a guy trying to argue that he didn’t get hit by a pitch, and then that’s two runs, and I’d like to think there’s some judgement involved. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
Those instances aside, there have been a number of challenged plays initially ruled against the Giants which later needed to be overturned.
Bob Melvin is frustrated, and he let everyone know!
Before the first pitch was even thrown on Sunday, the manager was tossed.
Bob Melvin was ejected right before the game started after appearing to argue with the umpiring crew 🤔 pic.twitter.com/UfSpSmq8AD
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 21, 2024
That’ll go down as one of the quickest ejections in MLB history.
Bob Melvin has been frustrated after back-to-back losses – attributing some of the struggles directly to the umpiring. He didn’t stick around to let the crew bother him in the series finale!
As it turns out, the early exit might’ve provided a spark for the Giants’ offense. Jorge Soler led the game off with a home run to give San Francisco a quick 1-0 lead.
Just how Melvin drew it up!