The New York Mets‘ fiery clash with the San Diego Padres on Monday night took an early turn when tempers flared over a called third strike on Juan Soto. After home plate umpire Emil Jimenez punched out Soto on a curveball at the edge of the plate in the third inning, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t hesitate.
Mendoza stormed out of the dugout to defend Soto, who had just struck out for the second time that night and was visibly upset by the call. The manager’s passionate argument quickly escalated, leading to his ejection from the game. But as Mendoza made clear afterward, protecting his players is a duty he embraces without hesitation.
“I got to be the one getting thrown out,” Mendoza said postgame, according to SNY. “I can’t afford to [have players ejected], whether it’s Soto or any of our players. I knew from the very beginning after a couple of calls early in the game, that I needed to be on top of it.”
Soto’s frustration boils over
The moment was the third time this season Mendoza has been tossed from a game. Bench coach John Gibbons assumed managerial duties after the ejection, but the tension surrounding home plate did not dissipate.
According to the pitch chart, Soto’s second strike—pitch four of the at-bat—was clearly outside the zone, while the third strike did scrape the outside edge. The inconsistency in the strike zone appeared to fuel Soto’s frustration, which boiled over again in the seventh inning when he was called out on a high slider.
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After that punchout, Soto glared at Jimenez in silence before returning to the dugout. Gibbons briefly exchanged words with the umpire following the call, but no further ejections occurred.
Mendoza calls out umpire’s performance
When asked directly about Jimenez’s performance behind the plate, Mendoza was candid: “He had a rough night, there’s no way to sugarcoat it there,” he said. “Especially when you’re talking about a couple of at-bats there from Soto, some key at-bats. You’re taking about one of the best hitters in the game, you’re taking the bat away from him.”
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Mendoza also referenced an earlier at-bat by Brandon Nimmo in the first inning as evidence of inconsistency: “I felt like that first at-bat, [Brandon] Nimmo struck out on three pitches that, you know, they weren’t close. He just had a bad night.”
