A strange at-bat led to an ejection after a series of miscommunications between the batter and the umpire. With a 3-1 count, the pitcher stood on the mound wearing a jersey covered in question marks. The batter took what he thought was ball four and began heading to first. The umpire called it strike two. Frustrated but calm, the batter tossed his bat, which the ump saw as showing him up. The player tried to explain that he genuinely thought it was ball four and didn’t mean to be disrespectful.
Then came the curveball for ball four. This time, the batter went to take his walk and flipped his bat again — but it flew toward the ump and hit him. The umpire tossed him from the game right away. The player tried to explain that it slipped or “got stuck” in his hands. It may have taken a weird spin, but it didn’t look intentional. Still, contact with the ump was enough for an ejection. The ump wasn’t having it, and the player headed to the clubhouse.