Justin Turner got tossed from the game after a tense back-and-forth with the home plate umpire. His second at-bat started with a called strike he didn’t agree with. After a brief exchange, the ump went back to a spot they’ve had issues over before. Turner had to swing the next pitch and grounded out. He wasn’t happy. Later, Max Muncie saw a borderline inside pitch called a strike. From the dugout, someone said, “keep it on the plate.” The ump thought Turner said it and kicked him out. The whole ejection seemed to stem from Turner responding with a wave, which the ump apparently saw as mocking.
Turner didn’t appear to yell or curse. He may have been sarcastic, but the reaction from the ump seemed over the top. This ump had tossed Turner back in 2017 for arguing balls and strikes, so there’s some history. Manager Dave Roberts didn’t push back much, just walked off after a frustrated response. Turner, hitting well lately and key in a one-run game, was now out. The call clearly hurt the team. Whether the gesture warranted an ejection is debatable, but Turner’s reaction didn’t look like enough to send him home. The umpire just didn’t want to tolerate any more.