Philadelphia Phillies All-Star 3rd inning catcher JT Realmuto (32) was ejected for not catching the ball handed to him by the umpire. It is unclear whether the umpire’s absurd decision or the catcher’s ridicule of the umpire.
On the 28th (hereinafter Korean time), Realmuto started as a catcher for the 3rd batter in an exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2023 Major League Baseball held at TD Ball Park in Dunedin, Florida, USA, and was suddenly ejected while defending at 1 company at the end of the 4th inning.
It started when pitcher Craig Kimbrel asked for a new ball. Realmuto held out his mitt to receive a new ball from referee Randy Rosenberg, who was behind him, but suddenly pulled it off. Then referee Rosenberg ordered an ejection, and Philadelphia coach Rob Thompson came out and appealed.
According to the ‘Philadelphia Inquirer’, Realmuto held out his mitt to the umpire to receive a new ball, but when he saw Kimbrel’s gaze on the mound looking upward, he thought the umpire was delivering it himself. It is argued that it is not intentional, but a communication error.
It was the first exit for Realmuto, who played a total of 1005 games in 9 major league seasons since his debut in 2014. After the match, Realmuto said, “I wasn’t even looking at the referee. I didn’t think you would give me the ball there,” he protested to the referee, saying, “I thought you were throwing the ball to the pitcher yourself,” but Rosenberg explained that he did not admit it.
There was a reason. Before Realmuto removed his mitt, pitcher Kimbrel was automatically called for a pitch clock violation. Starting this year, a pitch clock was introduced that requires pitchers to pitch within 15 seconds when there is no runner and within 20 seconds when there is a runner.
Since it is the first year of introduction, the pitchers are in the process of adapting. After losing one ball, Kimbrel received a new ball from the referee, but threw it out of the ground again and demanded a new ball. Coincidentally, right after that, Realmuto held out his mitt to the referee and asked for the ball, but he suddenly removed the mitt. The ball fell to the ground. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but as a referee Rosenberg, he must have felt mocked. It was a situation that could cause misunderstanding.
Chief referee Dan Iasogna said,먹튀검증 “I don’t think Rosenberg acted hastily. He did it because he felt it was time to leave. Obviously something happened between the two. I knew it was about a pitch clock violation the moment I was sent off,” defended referee Rosenberg. But Realmuto insisted he didn’t say anything to Rosenberg before and after the ejection, saying, “It was the first time I was ejected, and it was perfect timing.”