Baseball ejections tend to be straightforward. Argue with an umpire, throw a pitch too close, or fighting. Sometimes, players and managers get tossed for unusual reasons. Here are some that seem like they’re taken out of a comedy sketch.
Bobby Valentine’s (not-so) disguise – 1999
It was an early Halloween for the Mets’ manager in 1999. The dugout introduced a new character after his ejection.
Valentine returned to the dugout with a fake moustache and sunglasses! Unsurprisingly, the umpires caught on and he was promptly re-ejected and fined $5000 by the league.
Never forget when Bobby Valentine got ejected and later came back to the game dressed in a disguise 😂 pic.twitter.com/1OQSVDdtap
— Kent (@RealKentMurphy) June 10, 2018
Brett Lawrie’s Flying Helmet – 2012
Brett Lawrie was the Toronto Blue Jays’ third basement in 2012. After back-to-back bad calls at the plate, Lawrie’s temper got the best of him.
He slammed his helmet on the ground, and it bounced back to hit the umpire. Talk about a bad bounce.
Milton Bradley Throws a Bag of Balls – 2004
Known for his flaring temper, one of the former outfielder’s 20 ejections came after his blowup on an umpire.
Bradley headed to the dugout after his ejection, where he proceeded to dump a full bag of balls onto the field. Not as bad as Robbie Ftorek throwing a bench onto the ice in the NHL.
Mark Wegner Tosses a Fan – 2016
It’s not too often that you see a fan ejected from a game. However, during a game at Dodger Stadium, a fan was relentlessly heckling the Cardinals’ catcher, Yadier Molina.
As a result, the situation escalated to the point where the umpire had to call security to escort the fan off the premises
Tim Tschida Ejects a Music Director – 1985
We’ve discussed players, managers, and even fans being ejected. But a staff member at the field? That was a first.
During a game between the Dodgers and Mets, the umpire made several controversial calls. In response, the music director played ‘Three Blind Mice’ to fire up the crowd. While the fans loved it, Tim Tschida didn’t share their sense of humor and promptly ejected the staff member.
MLB ejections have a history of spiraling out of control. With a long season ahead, there’s always a chance we’ll see another unexpected one this year.
