Ejections 086-88 - Marlins' Pablo Lopez, Don Mattingly & Mel Stottlemyre ejected after Acuña HBP

2B Umpire/Crew Chief Dan Iassogna ejected Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, and manager Don Mattingly after Lopez hit Braves batter Ronald Acuña with the first pitch of Atlanta's 1st inning. Report: www.closecallsports.com/2021/...
It would appear that broadcasters may not be aware of MLB's modification of the Intentionally Pitch at Batter protocol for umpires. Prior to the new protocol (which at this point isn't exactly "new" anymore, it existed last season as well), home plate umpires would decide whether to warn, eject, or do nothing on a potential throwing at/beanball incident immediately upon the batter being hit by the pitch or the pitch sailing past the batter.
Under the new protocol, the plate umpire is no longer allowed to make any ruling on the spot and the crew must convene after a potential throwing-at incident and have a conference about whether to eject the pitcher, eject both the pitcher and manager, warn both teams, or do nothing.
As we explain, this change in protocol has produced some unintended consequences that make managing the game more difficult.

[@bsdsooner]

Unrelated side note…..Acuna ended up scoring and the Braves won the game 1-0. It’s the first time in 9 years (I think I heard) that a pitcher has lost a game having only thrown one pitch.

[@timothyraycox6149]

Acuna did it to the Marlins (pitcher) a few years ago too I believe lol

[@vw8886]

Yep, umps won this game.

[@jeremygoldenberg9617]

3rd time Acuña has been hit by the first pitch of the game. 6th time he has been hit by the first pitch of the at bat. Oh, and 3rd time he's been hit by MIA this season.

[@rickhaavisto9023]

Third time he has been hit with the first pitch thrown by the Marlins in a game.

[@wiremonkeymother830]

@@rickhaavisto9023 And the year before, and the year before that.

[@efrenmoran8098]

Jrose11….Doesn’t think so. Look at his remark/posting.

[@quesobuddy]

Yeah, but for the most part all that info is irrelevant. It happens. For as good as Acuña is, the best way to pitch him is inside and not let him extend those arms. If the argument is he gets hit a lot by the Marlins, then the rebuttal is; well duh. They're divisional opponents of course they're gonna face off a lot and have more chances to miss their pitches up and in. To me this was a lot of something for something that was nothing.

[@rickhaavisto9023]

Queso Buddy The other NL East opponents have hit Acuna a combined 4 times in 3 times the games. Miami: 5/52 HBP/Game Rest of NL East: 4/140 HBP/Game

[@kevindavis8175]

In Jomboy’s breakdown of this, he noted that Mattingly said something along the lines of, “Who told you that it was intentional? Snit? You’re just gonna believe him?”

[@SixFour0391]

I like the balance of factual (rule book), emotion and point of view in these videos! As someone who loves breaking down film, I think this content hits the sweet spot! Enjoyed it.

[@richpaul6806]

when was the last time 3 people were ejected on a HBP without a brawl?

[@TeemoQuinton]

Never

[@michaelfalkner1186]

@@TeemoQuinton I think MLB hates pitching and wants the ball on a tee. This is just another example. I think MLB is also seeing that people are knowing the pendulum is being forcibly swung the other way -- and knows that players like the Marlins are going to go after players like Acuna.

[@Bassandbucks]

@@michaelfalkner1186 no it's just every time they play if you watch acuna gets hit multiple times every time they have something against him

[@RaleyCreativeTravel]

I didn’t see Mel get tossed.

[@richpaul6806]

@@RaleyCreativeTravel I didn't either but it is in the box score

[@jordangeville]

Watching Jomboy's video the words that got Mattingly ejected were "Now you've f***ed us tomorrow and possibly the next game." That should not be ejectable. It's a legitimate, non-abusive criticism. The narrator here himself said "if you're going to eject the starting pitcher after one pitch, be absolutely sure." They weren't. This entire sequence is a joke from the umpires.

[@rickhaavisto9023]

Hahahahahahahahahaha Maybe Mattingly should stress to his pitchers to quit hitting Acuna with the first pitch... You think he would do it after the previous two occurrences...

[@jordangeville]

@@rickhaavisto9023 So because something happened 3 years ago, every Marlin that hits him is doing it on purpose now? Iassogna remembered what happened without taking into account how long ago it was and how many times these teams had played since then. And he guessed. And I like Acuna, if I think someone's throwing at him, I'll be the first to be mad about it. Thinking it happened here doesn't make sense.

[@rickhaavisto9023]

Jordan Davidson Dude, 6 HBP since 2018...three of them on the first pitch of the game...you telling me that’s a coincidence?

[@jordangeville]

@@rickhaavisto9023 The uniform doesn't matter. The players do. How many of those were by current Marlins, two maybe, including Lopez. Context is important. Urena threw at Acuna, everyone knows that. Those two people have a history. Urena is no longer a Marlin. You can't tie Urena's history to Lopez just because it's the same uniform. The Blue Jays and Rangers used to have a history 5 years ago. And that stopped eventually. Because time passed and the players changed. If there's a HBP in a Blue Jays-Rangers game and you eject because, oh, Odor punched Bautista 5 years ago, you're stupid.

[@KingMinosxxvi]

As a Braves fan I have to say that this utterly ridiculous. Acuna stands over the plate with no fear whatsoever. He is going to get plunked from time to time. This is the ruination of baseball.

[@sfan2767]

Can we all just pause to enjoy Pablo Sandoval's look during this.

[@jacobrichardson1952]

He look like a lawyer with those glasses.

[@slowtraincoming]

Commentator at 2:30 - "We're not stupid..." Everyone listening to his dribble: "Yeah, you're pretty stupid."

[@Jrose11]

This might be the worst ejection in baseball history. I get there's history, but Urena's not even in the NL, it was the very first pitch, and Acuna tends to crowd the plate.

[@danielplotkin1586]

As long as Trash Mattingly is the manager of the Marlins any time Acuna is HBP it and ejection. He lost the right for his pitchers to miss inside when he headhunted him for being good.

[@magicizaproblem]

Schwarber is on the 1st inning hr streak too lol

[@philipflores2515]

If it didn’t happen 98% of the time they play you’d have a point. It’s getting out of hand with Miami ALWAYS hitting Acuna

[@magicizaproblem]

@@philipflores2515 it doesnt happen 98% of the time though....It happens frequently and one particular incident when acuna was in his rookie yr and was on the 1st inning home run streak. If you look at Rizzo (who does crowd the plate) and contreras i dont even have to look at hbp stats to tell you they get hit more then acuna in divisional and out of division games.......Its cryin at this point for the braves and im for the braves

[@dylanharris9218]

It’s not urena, it’s the Don Shittingly is the problem

[@RobertSmith-qu7wd]

I agree that the new(ish) requirement to huddle tends to make a tricky situation worse. If they were able to get together quickly at least it would look like they were on top of the initial issue but instead they needed to deal with the manager. We couldn't see how everyone else in Atlanta's dugout was reacting so I don't know whether or not a benchclearing was brewing and successfully avoided. From the TV views it did not look like there was any plan to huddle for discussion had Snitker not come out. Mostly it just looked like the whole fiasco took way too long.

[@cupchamp5]

Whether the pitch was intentional or not, the Braves. Acuna and Snitker are fed up with Acuna getting hit by Marlins pitchers. I was surprised that Acuna didn't charge the mound.

[@jeremyruark2969]

It's baseball. No doubt you never played a day in your life. It's the first at bat. Lol dumbest guy in room. U

[@wadejones2567]

It doesn't matter, it clearly didn't look on purpose

[@Goodfella1960]

How dumb. No reason to have a crew pow wow. HP ump should make that call, and he didn't. He was talked into it. Issue a warning, as that was the appropriate course of action. MLB just can't get out of its own way.

[@Goodfella1960]

@@jeremyruark2969 I agree with you 100%. MLB and Manfredo literally murdering the sport.

[@63076topher]

@@Goodfella1960 Guess you have trouble hearing the home plate umpire CAN NOT eject a pitcher or EVEN warn without a conference with the crew anymore.

[@djingram9518]

Lol @ marlins announcers. Uhm, quit hitting Ronald and this wouldn't happen.

[@davidlynskey4143]

5 times in 240 plate appearances? He had beef with Urena, whos not on the team. Pablos one of the nicest guys in the league, and said my bad after he hit him. And the only reason he got ejected is because Snitker asked them to eject him

[@adamwilson2002]

@@davidlynskey4143 being hit 6 times by one team in 2 years is too much

[@davidlynskey4143]

@@adamwilson2002 Yes and Urena was a big part of that, but recently it was just him crowding the plate and some missed breaking balls that he made a big deal out of

[@adamwilson2002]

@@davidlynskey4143 he ain’t make a big deal out of nothing And it’s not him crowding the plate. That’s the way he always stands and the marlins are the only team to hit him this much. Don’t blame it on him crowding the plate

[@davidlynskey4143]

@@adamwilson2002 How does he not make a big deal out of it lmao, every time he gets hit he starts going after the pitcher and glaring instead of taking his base. Im not trying to argue, all Im saying is I dont think Pablos pitch was intentional. He pitches inside and Acuna stands closer to the plate than most other guys

[@deathdoesntdream2783]

Haven't Marlins pitchers hit Acuna 3 times on the FIRST pitch of the game

[@VynceMontgomery]

If you can't throw inside without hitting the batter DON'T THROW INSIDE

[@AnimeGamer0]

You would expect that but then they took the sticky stuff and here is the unintended consequence. MLB should’ve took care of that in Spring Training and now we’re going to see more HBPs.

[@onedayatatime007]

If you can't take getting hit by a pitch dont crowd the plate, two can play that game..

[@anthonystone8270]

No. Gotta disagree. Pitch gotta get their inside space or they don't last. Batter gets a free base for taking an aspirin. I think it should end there if Crew judges no intent.

[@jeremygoldenberg9617]

@@AnimeGamer0 With the sticky stuff this season had the highest rate of HBP ever.

[@lylegagne494]

@@AnimeGamer0 thats complete bullshit. they know exactly where they are throwing and having them NOT cheat made no difference what so ever. Pitchers saying that they have less control without gooping up is just a a garbage excuse. The game has been played for over a hundred years without adding sun screen and what ever else and it didn't bother them

[@maxable9128]

I’m all for pitching inside, and I honestly don’t think Miami’s thrown at Acuña since the Ureña incident, but when you’ve hit a guy 6 times in 3+ seasons you lose the benefit of the doubt.

[@ehawk1984]

Very true and the Marlins can thank Urena for the opening the flood gates with Acuña.

[@maxable9128]

@@ehawk1984 yep. There’s much less (if any) animosity if Ureña doesn’t take a shot at Acuña in ‘18

[@stufrankie8332]

@@maxable9128 they hit him on in the playoffs last year and have hit him two other times since Ureña, the Ureña is just the most talked about cuz the benches cleared.....the Marlins have hit Acuña SIX times in the last 2 1/2 years and three were 1st pitch of the game

[@maxable9128]

@@stufrankie8332 The one in the postseason last year looks bad because he homered earlier in the game, but there’s no way they threw at him intentionally with a lead in a tight postseason game.

[@stufrankie8332]

@@maxable9128 I'm not saying the one in the playoffs was "intentional" but after awhile like u said and I've said then the Marlins lose the benefit of the doubt

[@alexbinkley5479]

This is one of those I wish it was mic'd up

[@user-nx8pe6pc3h]

Follow Jonboy Media. He does a pretty good version of lip reading. 😂

[@nateward9592]

@@user-nx8pe6pc3h yawn……

[@Bassandbucks]

Isnt it funny every time acuna gets hit he never charges the mound never has a temper just keeps his focus on the game

[@dylanharris9218]

Yet they keep hitting him cause he owns them

[@Bassandbucks]

@@dylanharris9218 its ridiculous why do the Marlins have something against him I mean hes a good play and doesn't have a temper.

[@magnanimouscontributor881]

What I fail to comprehend is how a manager from the opposing team can dictate what happens to a player in the other team at any point in the game!!! Lopez's inside pitch was not intended to collide with acuña, it occurred nonetheless. If another pitcher from the braves threw a pitch that struck the batter, no disciplinary action would have been taken. It is nothing but bullshit favoritism. Pablo Lopez accidentally hit the batter, but that does not warrant what followed.

[@jakegodfrey1382]

Saying that mlb is playing favorites with the Braves is BS given that the ATLANTA all star game was taken away on the year of hank Aaron’s death as well as multiple accounts of the MLB reply team in New York calling clear outs safe despite clear evidence showing otherwise not calling time despite Joc Pederson being out of the box with his hand up with no pitcher wind up Yeah MLB definitely plays favorites with the Braves and by the way other teams pitch inside to Acuña yet the Marlins tend to be the only one hitting him

[@larrystarstruck]

Even though I am a Braves fan, I have to agree with Don Mattingly. There should have been warnings issued. I doubt a pitcher would have hit on purpose and put a runner on.

[@jackjon7763]

Don’t have to give warnings.

[@runrin_]

5:39 "Why!? I don't give a f---!! That's f---ing horses---!!"

[@joe2lank]

MLB: We need to improve pace of game Also MLB: Let’s do a borderline ejection and cause a 10 minute delay after the first pitch

[@joe2lank]

@Jack Tower To my understanding this batter is one that pitchers commonly throw inside to. A risk of doing that (especially given that MLB is doing greater enforcement of sticky substance use) is that a pitch may come too much inside and hit the batter. To me, it appeared to be a missed pitch. That is part of the game. Had the umpires decided to not eject the pitcher, play would have continued but because they decided to eject the pitcher, it caused the delay due to the discussion that followed.

[@coreywilliams570]

@Jack Tower LOL, so as long as the brave manger wants somebody to get throw out the game the Umpire are suppose to just follow his wishes. Can somebody please show me that in the rule book.

[@greglaplante7593]

The umpire told him that you guys have a history of hitting him. You could tell he did not want to do it.

[@jamiemadden2924]

Damn shouldve thrown better then

[@coreywilliams570]

@@jamiemadden2924 So every time a hitter get hit by a pitch they should be thrown out. LOL, do you even watch baseball. Also Brain Anderson has been hit more times by the braves in les at bats. But I guess nobody cares about that.

[@jamiemadden2924]

@@coreywilliams570 lol did I say everytime? No

[@jamiemadden2924]

@@coreywilliams570 if you do not want to get thrown out for hitting a batter, don't hit the fucking batter. Acting like it's somebody else's fault when it's the pitcher that fucked up.

[@coreywilliams570]

@@jamiemadden2924 So when pitcher pitch inside and miss by a couple of inches and hit a batter he should be thrown out. LOL, yep you have never watched baseball. I hope you say that every time a batter gets hit.

[@arthurbrunnenkant6444]

The guy missed inside one time.. Didn't even deserve to get a warning, and definitely not tossed. Just because Acuna is popular doesn't mean he gets to own the inside part of the plate, sad the game has come to this..

[@anthonyscioscia7098]

totally with you. umps are ridiculous here.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

Yes he does. He's more important than any of the Marlins. Wake up and smell the noise. #rigged

[@karlrovey]

When this is the third time the Marlins have hit him with the first pitch of the game, not tossing the pitcher is just giving the Marlins free shots at him.

[@sittingbackandwatchingital3845]

You do know the history right

[@maekklyn]

He doesn't own the inside of the plate but he should own the area within the box. He missed by a mile. It came well within the batter box...wasn't even close.

[@howard2031]

These people in these comments saying they were wrong to throw him out must root for a team that doesn't have a superstar player.

[@skinflutey]

Them and the announcers just sound really stupid. Especially with the “so now you can’t pitch inside?” Remarks

[@1who4me]

Good to see Pablo Sandoval still playing!

[@zach7193]

MLB is limiting powers of the umpire. Man, it's a sign of things to come.

[@michaelhogg324]

I agree with you on that Zach! I don't know if you umpire or not but I'm glad that we still have control for both HS and College!

[@CoachOlsson]

Yeah i liked it way better when the home plate ump could decide on the spot without a meeting. I highly doubt this one was intentional and i dont think lopez woulda been thrown out before the rule or protocol change.

[@jackjon7763]

Even if it was intentional you let the other team hit someone and people kind of cool off a bit. I mean hell. There are a lot of players who when they get hit are kind of relieved because the game calms down

[@TheRubyrott]

Exactly. To my experience you increase a possible difficulty to umpire and to manage a game when you take sudden dicisions away for a crew when you possibly want to deascilate hit-by-pitch ejections.

[@SLC-Smudge42]

So I’m with you on the crew review protocol and it’s flaws, but what do you think about the actual legitimacy of the call. They had to think that he intentionally thew at Acuna right? Would you have made that call?

[@TeemoQuinton]

Fuck no. First pitch, first inning... It makes no sense at ALL to eject it

[@rickhaavisto9023]

@@TeemoQuinton It's happened to Acuna twice already against the Marlins BEFORE this game...What's the saying? "Two times is a coincidence, three is a pattern?"

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@rickhaavisto9023 ok now lemme think... was this pitcher on the team? No. He was in minors in 18 when history started and moving up in 19. He has no part in it and its blatant based on his facials he fucked up in the throw. Stop trying to justify the worst ejections we'll see this season

[@rickhaavisto9023]

@@TeemoQuinton OK? Who's the manager right now? Who was the manager the first time Acuna got hit? Who was the manager the 3 other times Acuna got hit? You don't think players get influenced by managers? How naive are you?

[@lylegagne494]

@@TeemoQuinton its Mattingly's team! He's an asshole. pretty sure it was totally intentional.

[@jpolar394]

I still just can't picture seeing Donny Baseball wearing a red baseball hat and without his mustache.

[@juan833blue]

At least Acuña kept his cool.

[@duffyy1]

He knew it wasn’t intentional plus the Marlins players tired to keep it cool.

[@juan833blue]

@@duffyy1 Tried to keep it cool, not tired.

[@foley256]

Did Mattingly get thrown out twice?

[@JoeD0403]

The pitch curved up and in. It wasn’t thrown at the batter initially. Horrible call to eject. It’s the umpires trying to get control of something that isn’t out of control.

[@da_ghoul9432]

Even the Braves announcers were as stunned as Mattingly on the ejection.

[@ivanlara4145]

1st inning 1 pitch ejected unbelievable

[@Rubberfooted]

Loving Ron Washington at 5:51

[@youngtank4039]

Why isn’t he managing a team. He would be good for the Orioles.

[@allancove4483]

That's who I thought that was. Good eye!!!

[@vw8886]

Acuna wears battle armor on his left arm so he can stick it out over the inside corner. You have to pitch him inside or he will sit on the middle out stuff and kill you. Should have been a warning only.

[@TheMets692006]

I have played ball and guys pitching inside may result in a batter being hit by a pitch. Sometimes folks just over reacts. How do you move on from the past if you keep holding on to it...

[@stufrankie8332]

6 times in two years by the same team, three times on the 1st pitch of the game

[@maekklyn]

That wasn't pitching inside that was well into the box. If you add another plate it still maybe catches the right edge lol. It was wild as hell but don't think it was on purpose.

[@lukemayer6273]

These Marlins commentators r ridiculous 😂😂😂

[@Stevo2557]

I didnt see the pitching coach ejection

[@kevindavis8175]

I think it was immediately after the pitcher was kicked out.

[@seansampson6490]

Maybe if you stop hitting him, they won’t throw out the pitcher, Marlins tryna act all innocent and the broadcasters are acting like it’s nothing🤦🏽‍♂️😂

[@jpolar394]

I still just can't picture seeing Donny Baseball wearing a red baseball hat.

[@Oceangirl_505]

I learn something from you each and every video. Thank you! ⚾

[@jaybingham3711]

Dark on dark inverted. Cool look.

[@cinci4life116]

I'm a neutral observer and i get the history involved here but there is no way that was intentional. Umps made a very bad decision here.

[@jacobrichardson1952]

Just like 3 years ago.

[@jaiquanbonin9484]

Pablo Sandoval is ever expanding

[@MatthewKonvict]

The guy who hit Acuna on purpose went on to promptly lose the game 1-0.

[@blimy01maynard30]

Ball don't lie.

[@bruceboman9801]

Baseball Karma.

[@KingMinosxxvi]

Accept he clearly didn't

[@MatthewKonvict]

@@KingMinosxxvi check who lost. 0.0 innings pitched and 1 earned run. He got what he deserved.

[@KingMinosxxvi]

@@MatthewKonvict No. That's the point he didn't get what he deseved. What he deserved is for Acuna to take first base and then potentially score. He didn't deserve to be tossed after one pitch. That Ball wasn't even that far inside. Look at Acuna's hands they start practically over the plate. Also Acuna barely moves out of the way (he never does). If Acuna is going to stand there and have the attitude that he doesn't have to move out of the way you can't help him further by tossing any pitcher that plunks him. So what opposing teams are supposed to pitch Acuna down the middle for fear of letting on get away a little bit and hitting him? Anybody who doesn't understand this understands very little about baseball. An i'm braves fan.

[@thesouthernist8174]

There is no ‘slip’ with that pitch, it’s gone exactly where it was aimed.

[@johncronin9540]

I saw the same thing. It kept heading further and further in. Had the batter been in the other box, it would have taken effort for the catcher to grab it.

[@thesouthernist8174]

Of course they could make the situation easy - any pitcher who hits a batter gets ejected. If these are elite pitchers (as they should be) this shouldn’t cause that much of an issue.

[@markcrenshaw9562]

First checking pitchers for pine tar and now this. Geez I mess the way the game is played.

[@SidEffecT883]

The umpires really looked bad in this one. Mattingly had every right to be upset. It’s like seconds after you give a warning you eject the guy? The umpires should’ve gave a warning before this game even started. They should’ve been aware of the history. It’s just stupidity on their part, this all could’ve been avoided very easily. It’s like they want to slow down the game.

[@Trust291]

You need to replace them commentators then man you on point.

[@jeremypepin481]

You spelled “umpires” wrong

[@danielplotkin1586]

The Marlins announcers are BRUTAL. I couldn't listen to them game after game.

[@benjyvol]

I get that you pitch Acuña inside, but NOBODY hits Acuña more than Miami

[@scottythegreat1]

I dont quite understand why there were ejections. I know there is a history, it is well documented that Acuna has been thrown at many times by the Marlins, but still. The first pitch. Why would you intentionally hit a batter on the first pitch??? Brian Snitker opened his mouth, and he got what he wanted This should have warranted a warning, nothing more and nothing less. I dont blame Mattingly and Stottlemyre for being ejected from: A Neutral Observer.

[@rickhaavisto9023]

I am also a neutral observer, and this is something interesting I found. This is not the first time Acuna has been hit leading off the game by the first pitch against Miami. It is also not the second time that it has happened to him. Two's a coincidence, three's a pattern. (In my mind)

[@karlrovey]

@@rickhaavisto9023 Exactly. How many other leadoff batters have been hit by the first pitch of the game three times in their careers? Of those, how many were hit by pitchers from the same team?

[@steve-eq8kx]

Thought police.

[@ronniesorter1888]

Those ejections are a joke. It's obvious he didn't hit him intentionally.

[@jacksongreene5134]

the marlins have hit him 6 time in a row. He did mean to hit him.

[@ronniesorter1888]

@@jacksongreene5134 You can tell by the pitcher's body language that he didn't mean to hit him. Like the announcers said, why would you plunk someone intentionally on the first pitch of the damn game? Also, Acuna is always going to get hit a ton because he crowds the plate so much.

[@floydbrice2205]

@@ronniesorter1888 Give me a break. That is in the plain. He would never do that on the first pitch. Please. WWF/WWE have better story lines than this. Stevie Wonder saw this coming..

[@EdGrassmaster]

@@ronniesorter1888 The Marlins have hit Acuna on the first pitch of the game three times now. It’s hard for me to believe those were all accidental.

[@ronniesorter1888]

@@floydbrice2205 We'll agree to disagree. A warning would have been sufficient. If bitchboy Acuna doesn't want to get hit he needs to quit crowding the damn plate.

[@pjbuma13]

I like how these commentators think it’s ok for Don Mattingly to stand up for his player by not ok for Brian Sntker to do it for his players. Clowns.

[@clutch4360]

The problem the announcers have is that the umpires let Snitker affect their decision.

[@pjbuma13]

@@clutch4360 you can prove that about as well as I can prove the hit by pitch was intentional.

[@cd743]

Facts

[@TenPinTrucker]

They (and I - not a braves or marlins fan) have an issue with how he's allowed to come on the field and yell at the umps before they make their decision on the ejections. This conference before warnings and such is b.s. and wastes **A LOT** of time. Manfred keeps whining about the pace of play, yet here this one pitch wound up taking twenty minutes because Mattingly was pissed that Snitker got to converse with the umps before the decision and he didn't.

[@pjbuma13]

@@TenPinTrucker yes that is the real issue. Like the video states this new rule requires the umps to converse before an ejection can be made. And also like he said in the video this makes it look like they only ejected him because snitker came out of the dugout and complained (which he had every right to) but we don’t know if they would have ejected him if Snit never came out. I think the ejection was just and the new rule on the umps having to discuss it is stupid.

[@jamiethornton6101]

I honestly don't like the ejection, but I get it.

[@danger170388]

I think the election was warranted. How many times do the Marlins get to hit Acuna? If I were Snitcker I would hit the Marlins pitcher every time they came up to bat until they stop this garbage

[@jamiethornton6101]

@@danger170388 So anytime he comes inside and hits him going forward, even on the first pitch of the game we should just toss him out? Your pretty much telling a pitcher he can't come inside anymore ever again, when he's facing him.

[@danger170388]

@@jamiethornton6101 with the Marlins, yes until they can go an entire season without hitting him

[@danger170388]

@@jamiethornton6101 they've hit him 6 times over the last 2+ seasons, that screams intent to me. He's been hit 26 times in his career, that means about a quarter of those were from Marlins pitchers, 23% to be exact. So, simple solution every time he gets plunked, so does one of their pitchers

[@karlrovey]

@@jamiethornton6101 What other player has been hit on the first pitch of the game by the same team three times? It's not simply him getting hit. It's him getting hit on the first pitch of the game with a history of that being intentional.

[@maekklyn]

Missed by like 1.5 feet lol crazy

[@brettammons1112]

Jomboy is gonna have a field day with this clip

[@austindrover851]

It's up and it's great

[@bradt7451]

Jomboy is a clown

[@martimcshy]

Jomboy is annoying. He overdoes it.

[@floydbrice2205]

He is one funny dude.

[@nateward9592]

I’ll stick to my professionally done rules based informative videos here on Close Call over the overly hyped and really stupid clownboy, thank you.

[@frankborja25]

how do the announcers think the Braves manager caused Mattingly and Lopez to get kicked out ....pitch Acuna inside, do you have to hit him alot

[@maekklyn]

A lot of people are using the word "inside" wrong on this one. Inside is still outside of the batters box lol this was well into it.

[@thomasnaeger8960]

It's a bad policy and in end bad decision.

[@joefatalooch8057]

Intent CANNOT be proved. Ever. So it is ridiculous to argue. It’s up to the umpires and its a dependent situation. What should occur is to warn only the side that is throwing at the batter. No more warning both sides.

[@BaseFury]

As always, the things you say are spot on, and you're EDUCATING people. Bravo, I say. :)

[@vw8886]

as far as the requirement to have a conference yes but the ejection was not.

[@grmacs95]

That was shambolic umpiring.

[@michaelhogg324]

Why do you hate Umpires for? IMO, MLB is taking control from them.

[@sergiofernandez6750]

Umpires did not warn both benches

[@dean_604]

"Whether this call was right or not..." Translation: The wrong call was made. This channel drives me nuts how it will not hold officials accountable for their actions. Snitker should have been sent packing as soon as he entered the field of play. Whether he influenced the officials or not, the perception is that he has because of the convoluted way MLB wants the umpires to "review" the play. If someone would have put their hand up and stopped him before his tirade at least there would be a perception that they weren't influenced by his coming out.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

That's the problem -- they are influenced by his tirade. And the fact that Acuna is probably one of the ten or so "big guns" in MLB...

[@jeremypepin481]

This entire channel has become “here’s excuses for the umps being garbage”.

[@karlrovey]

I suppose it's a coincidence that Marlins pitchers have hit him with the first pitch of the game three times with two of them known to be intentional. With that history, you have to assume this was intentional as well.

[@johncronin9540]

@@karlrovey It looked intentional to me. That pitch wasn’t a breaking ball that didn’t break, the ball ran way inside, and had the batter not been there, the catcher would have had to really move to grab that pitch. And then there’s the history. These feuds are stronger since MLB went to an unbalanced schedule, in order to have more intra-division games, meaning that teams in the same division face each other a lot. Ironically, the goal was to promote rivalries within each division.

[@johncronin9540]

@@michaelfalkner1186 No, contrary to what you may believe, the crew wasn’t influenced by any manager (and it’s pretty rare to be able to influence an umpire). They knew that either way, one manager was going to get angry with them. They aren’t there to be popular. Every decision umpires make will make someone unhappy. That’s the nature of being an official. They followed the new protocol, which was implemented by MLB. What “influenced” was the history, which MLB sent to this crew. They knew ahead of time that there was a history of the Marlins pitchers hitting this player. Had the old protocol been in place, the plate umpire would likely have immediately ejected the pitcher, the way it used to be done. The goal, by the way, is to prevent brawls arising from HBP. Players can, and have gotten hurt. I remember a Sox-Yankees brawl back in 1976, and Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee, a southpaw starter, who was eccentric even by the standards of baseball, came out of that brawl with an injured left arm.

[@sergiofernandez6750]

Umpires always right calls

[@texassooner342]

Umpires got talked into this ejection by the braves coach…. First pitch or the first inning there’s no way he did it on purpose…. If that’s the case then every time a player gets hit then they should eject the pitcher

[@allancove4483]

Well lets be honest here for a sec, considering the history between these two teams & the fact that they share the same division, why doesn't this surprise any of us? Just saying.

[@TonyChaney]

After Dan Iassogna sent off Pablo Lopez which the public address people may play Ray Charles' "Hit The Road, Jack" blaring in the background as he also sent off Mel Stottlemyre, Jr and the manager Don Mattingly due to Jose Urena's sin in 2018 also sent off the same way after one pitch after he intentionally hit Acuna which was sent to the cooler for six games. Coming up under the discretion of MLB on-field discipline officials Lopez face five games in the cooler and Mattingly via strict liability lose a game in the sin bin

[@CrystalblueMage]

The pitch was intentionally reckless, at some point that has to be enough for ejections too.

[@vw8886]

Pitch was over the line for the batters box hardly reckless.

[@maekklyn]

@@vw8886 It was well into the box. Not only did he miss the plate that might have missed two plates.

[@DJ2YTonly]

This is a bad ejection.

[@christopherotero6157]

Miami marlins love you 😍

[@slicktwilly]

Regardless of the Umpire new protocol the crew chief didn't have to throw him out. That seemed like he was a lil bit wild but not intentional. Atl's manager influenced the Umps who clearly was biased with the ejection to favor the Braves. They should of warned him. Bullshit call. I wouldn't left the field for another 20 mins if I was Don Mattingly and made an even bigger stink about it.

[@tylerlaird9543]

As a Braves fan I don’t think he should have been ejected. Pitchers do go in on him so he can’t get extended. But the commentators shouldn’t go at Snitker it’s all on the umpires. Also side taking away “sticky substances “ from pitchers will make them lose control. One of the reasons the hitters didn’t complain about this much. Not saying Lopez used anything before but just trying to give something to think about

[@rickhaavisto9023]

Really bud? Let's see at the end of the year. I bet that HBP will be relatively close to what they were before inspections. The sticky substance was to help spin the ball, which is why we are seeing a noticeable drop in spinrate...

[@tylerlaird9543]

@@rickhaavisto9023 yea bud... we will see. Yes it helped out pitchers way too much. Example: Garret Cole. But when you take it away cold turkey it will change your location too. Besides Degrom who is a freak. It will affect location. The distance between the inside corner and the body isn’t far

[@soulknife20]

I'm a die hard Braves fan. This was a terrible call. Snitker had no right doing that. Mattingly should be pissed. A warning sure, to keep the Braves from doing something stupid, but an out and out ejection was a terrible call.

[@cinnamontea1]

announcer: why would they issues a warning also announcer: there is a lot of history here braves manager has a right to be mad

[@anthonystone8270]

@Chris Smith Bit of yellow on you Meat. Not everyone has the Quadraphonic Blaupunkt sound system you got.

[@jerrymacias150]

Dude his stance was 6 inch from the inside batters box line He crowding the plate. Miss just a little inside and you get plunked. Nolan Ryan would have put one under his chin. At 100 mph… that would back him up…

[@wadejones2567]

The brave coach 100% influenced the ejection. Ur nuts dude.

[@63076topher]

No the report from MLB to watch for him to be hit by a pitch did and on this case MLB should send reports if this batter keeps getting hit by the same team.

[@sellison2192]

Inside is in the middle of his back?

[@zigwil153]

these commentators are atrocious. They would've defended one of the Marlins smashing an Atlanta player in the face with a bat.

[@nkucarrd88]

um......we want umpires to do independent research from different games that they werent a part of and then to carry that into games....nah im good.

[@paullentz1972]

If you're going to pitch inside..how about learning how to pitch inside WITHOUT CONSTANTLY hitting Acuna? Like it or not...they have a history of beaning Acuna! Blame themselves for this predicament.

[@CongaLineMonkey]

Marlins announcers need to save their moral outrage for a time when they are actually competitive. This isn't the playoffs.

[@vw8886]

And the Braves are competitive?

[@pheonix2160]

You can't tell me Mattingly thinks to himself.. " Oh its ok to hit a guy, knowing there's bad blood"

[@anthonyscioscia7098]

it was a mistake? should you be ejected for throwing a ball? fuckin ridiculous, these umpires are clowns.

[@danielplotkin1586]

I could totally see Mattingly doing than and then playing the victim. It's what trashy people like him do.

[@anonymouscommenter7689]

Only saw the pitcher and mattingly get ejected.

[@kevindavis8175]

I think the coach got ejected almost at the same time the pitcher did.

[@killerxhellzassassin9266]

Not a fan of either team..but it was insane how the Marlins consistantly threw at him cause he lit them up bigtime. Bunch of sore losers.

[@adammiller5301]

Love Acuna and him getting hit every time he’s in Miami sucks. That being said how do you pitch him inside now? He can lean over the plate like it’s prison and if he gets hit the pitcher is gonna get tossed? If the umps would actually call strikes on batters leaning into the zone and get hit I would say no big deal but that literally never ever happens.

[@default0467]

That pitch is over a foot inside wtf are you talking about

[@jamesjenkins8364]

Also they were in Atlanta this time

[@700Ezalb]

I don't care how anyone tries to defend the umps here (and says something like "whether this call was right or not..."), you can't eject this pitcher without warnings having been issued before the game. There is NO WAY that he is trying to hit the first batter of the game on the first pitch unless something happened in the prior game, and in this case, you didn't have that. The umps were wrong here and I think that's very obvious. I highly doubt they even meet to discuss what happened if Snitker doesn't come out yelling his head off, and it didn't even look like warnings were going to be issues either.

[@eddieheim6800]

The broadcasters comments have nothing to do with the change in protocol.... They're saying if they are going to eject him do it right away. The way it appears is Snitker. (sp?) comes out and says something, then they get together then they eject him. Which is why Mattingly is upset because he's saying he didn't do it intentionally and yet he gets ejected after Snitker says something....

[@rickhaavisto9023]

“They’re saying if they are going to eject him do it right away” That is directly correlated to the protocol...the HP ump can’t eject by himself, it has to go to consultation...

[@seanbrowning616]

Baseball needs the warning system

[@MH3GL]

So you're telling me you think it's BETTER to continue to allow one team's pitchers to hit a batter, but not allow the other team to retaliate without being able to incur a penalty (losing their pitcher)? Because that's how it's been happening for some years now, and it's a joke. Pitcher A hits batter B, a "warning" is issued, and then when Pitcher B hits batter A, and Pitcher B is thrown out for doing his job and protecting his teammate. You've got to be joking. You either immediately eject Pitcher A or you allow Pitcher B to make his statement pitch and THEN you issue the warning. Either way, it's MLB sticking its nose into player matters where it doesn't belong, as usual.

[@alejandroarrabal5694]

Your way of thinking is what is wrong with baseball.

[@MH3GL]

@@alejandroarrabal5694 Yes, because baseball is so much more popular today than it has been in the past. 🙂

[@alejandroarrabal5694]

@@MH3GL WEPAAAAA

[@maekklyn]

So you allow batter A to get hurt...who had nothing to do with Pitcher As pitch...in order to provide sufficient revenge for Pitcher Bs team so they can feel better? When does that cycle end because to me that sounds like a start to a war.

[@duffyy1]

I see the umps side on this. Too much history here.

[@chaos827]

Every pitcher should be tossed every time they hit a batter. A lot of times the ones that were unintentional, is because of throwing inside with faster speed then the pitcher can personally control. Eliminate discussion on intent. Make a rule and that's that

[@l_Live_In_Oregon]

Lack of grip!

[@johnwig5338]

When mlb turns into the nba I’m done

[@bigj6143]

This is a judgment situation period. Opinions might vary but I saw no intent to actually hit the batter. The Atlanta Manager exiting the dugout had alot to do with instigating what took place afterwards. Professionalism and sportsmanship has been replaced by spoiled overpaid brats who frankly don't care if they win or lose. Ultimately expect a retaliatory situation in Miami later also. The big deal that was made perpetrates that unfortunately.

[@joshfoulk6334]

Immediate ejection makes more logical sense. No need to huddle.