The Pirates and Giants were tied late in the game when tensions boiled over in the top of the eighth. Giants hitter Austin Slater stepped in with two outs, and the Pirates’ pitcher threw a series of borderline pitches. The ump called a couple balls that the Pirates thought were clear strikes. The catcher showed visible frustration, slapping his glove and demanding a new ball. After walking Slater, the next batter stepped in and another close pitch didn’t go their way. That was the final straw.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton had seen enough. He shouted at the ump and got tossed after a short but heated exchange. He pointed out three pitches he believed were called wrong. Even with the ejection, the umpire didn’t appear rattled, calmly stood his ground, and let Shelton vent before tossing him. The postgame umpire report later said only one of the three disputed pitches was clearly a strike. One was borderline, and one was correctly called a ball.
The Pirates dugout wasn’t buying it. Shelton’s reaction showed how frustrated he was with the calls in a tight game. The sequence didn’t decide the outcome, but it added fuel to a tense moment between two teams locked in a close battle.