The ninth inning of a tie game got heated fast. Bryce Harper struck out after a close check-swing call was ruled no swing. Brewers manager Pat Murphy came out of the dugout furious, shouting that any other hitter would’ve been called for it. Harper eventually went down swinging, but the brewing tension set the stage for what followed. When JT Realmuto came up, he worked a walk following another tight check-swing no-call. That was the last straw for Murphy. He exploded on the umpires, yelling that they were protecting star players and calling them out for bad calls. The home plate ump tossed Murphy after a prolonged and profanity-filled exchange.
The argument didn’t end there. Murphy and the ump got into a back-and-forth about whether the bat crossed in front of the plate. The replay showed the barrel came close to the front leg, but it was fast and borderline. Murphy insisted it was obviously a swing and accused the ump of refusing to admit a mistake. He stormed off but came back again to yell more before finally heading to the clubhouse. After the game, he said he understands umps will miss calls, but was bothered by their unwillingness to admit when they’re wrong. He added the Brewers don’t get those calls because they don’t have big-name stars. It was another fiery night with tight calls and even tighter tempers.