NEWSLETTER
When Ben Zobrist lost his cool and argued briefly about a called third strike that was solidly outside the strike zone in the sixth inning, that was an incredibly rare moment. And when it later became an ejection, it was a once-in-a-career situation for the 37-year-old long-time veteran.
Clearly, Zobrist was ticked about the strike zone, but it was very hard to imagine him saying any of the “magic words” that get a player ejected. Zobrist is just about the nicest guy in the world. What could he possibly have said to get the boot?
Ah, I forgot about saying THESE magic words to a big league umpire in 2018:
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/1029491646868713473
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/1029491854335725573
Excuse me for a moment while I bust out laughing. That’s a bold move, Mr. Zobrist, and one that is *guaranteed* to get you run. Also: well done. Also, also … it wasn’t just a pitch that looked like it was clearly outside, it was clearly outside:
I may not yet be there entirely on the electronic strike zone, but I can’t fault Zobrist for saying it, especially in the heat of the moment. With an electronic zone, he just walked.
Here’s the ejection, and also the earlier argument with Cuzzi, which resulted in Joe Maddon getting ejected:
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