A minor standoff broke out before a pitch was even thrown. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was getting in his warm-up tosses when umpire CB Buckner stepped in and called it after one. Raleigh threw the ball back instead of down to second, thinking he had one more throw to go. Buckner cut him off, saying that once the catcher comes out, he only gets one pitch, period. Raleigh pushed back, claiming the usual routine is three warm-ups when a new catcher comes in.
Mariners manager Scott Servais came out to argue, saying it’s standard for the catcher to get three warm-ups in that situation. Buckner disagreed. He claimed once the warm-up clock is stopped for a mound visit or catcher switch, only one extra pitch is allowed. The two went back and forth for a minute, but Buckner stood his ground. Servais gave up and walked off, visibly frustrated. Players on the field just shook their heads, clearly annoyed, but didn’t escalate things.
The whole exchange seemed petty, with no one entirely sure what the actual rule is. Buckner stuck to his interpretation, and the game went on. No ejections, just a brief but pointless delay.