Fernando Tatis Jr. knew the game was winding down. The tension was rising, and during his at-bat, he didn’t want to waste the opportunity to help the San Diego Padres in a tight matchup against the New York Yankees. But a heated exchange with the home plate umpire cost him — Tatis was ejected.
“Tatis Jr. got tossed after a strikeout with a called strike two that was a couple inches below the zone. He said something to plate ump Adrian Johnson. Mike Shildt emerged to argue, promptly got run as well, then got his money’s worth,” wrote AJ Cassavell on X, breaking down the sequence that led to the Padres‘ No. 23 getting tossed.
Despite witnessing teammate Fernando Tatis Jr.’s ejection, the Padres maintained their focus and rallied in the same inning to score four runs against the Yankees, taking the lead. The ejection compounded a tough night for the Dominican outfielder, who had already struck out three times in his 0-for-4 performance.
How many times has Tatis Jr. been ejected from an MLB game?
In the May 5th matchup between the Padres and Yankees, Tatis Jr. received his first MLB career ejection. He typically doesn’t have heated disputes with umpires, but this time, it proved costly. After the game, the Dominican star admitted he couldn’t recall exactly what he said to the umpire—“I forgot,”—but he knew he helped fire up his team: “…I’m just happy I got the boys hyped.”
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Shildt’s reaction also drew attention
It wasn’t just Tatis Jr.’s ejection that made headlines—Shildt was ejected as well. He stormed out of the dugout to argue over his player’s removal. While Shildt emphasized his respect for umpires and acknowledged the difficulty of their job, he made it clear he wasn’t going to stay silent.
“I don’t have players that get ejected, I’m not ejected a lot… probably I have the fewest players getting ejected in my time managing. Our players play, stay in the game, and show respect to umpires… But he [the umpire] threw him out [Tatis Jr.],” Shildt said.
