Bob Melvin was ejected in the bottom of the eighth after arguing a missed strike call on a 3-2 pitch to Edwin Encarnación. The pitch, which looked like it caught the bottom of the zone, was called a ball. Melvin erupted, frustrated that the same borderline pitches weren’t being called for his team. After the walk, Daniel Vogelbach stepped up and crushed a game-tying homer on the very next pitch, swinging momentum firmly away from the A’s.
Melvin lit into the home plate umpire, shouting that calls were inconsistent and favoring the other side. He pointed out several strike calls earlier that weren’t given to his pitchers. The umpire tossed him quickly, but Melvin made sure to get his message across before heading to the clubhouse. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Oakland, who saw a potential inning-ending strike turn into a walk and then a homer. The blown call clearly ignited a turning point, helping shift the game away from the A’s.