Joe Maddon got tossed on the Fourth of July after blowing up over a high inside fastball thrown at Javier Báez. The pitch sailed up and in, nearly clipping Báez’s hand, but replays showed it just hit the bat. Báez made it clear—no contact, just a foul ball. Still, tensions rose fast. Maddon shouted at the umpire to throw the ball over the plate, dropping a few choice words. Crew chief Joe West had enough and gave Maddon an early exit.
The ejection wasn’t just about that pitch. The Cubs had dropped four straight and seven of their last nine. Maddon saw a chance to spark his team and took it. He stormed out, yelled at the umpires, got into it with Clint Hurdle, and gave fans a little spin move for good measure. Anthony Rizzo even tried to play peacemaker, stepping in to slow things down. Hurdle didn’t seem fazed and may have even respected the move. It looked like classic managerial theater, meant more to fire up the dugout than to challenge the ump.
In the end, it was an emotional outburst during a frustrating stretch, wrapped in some fireworks of its own. Maddon tried to rally his guys the only way he could—by getting himself thrown out.