The Rangers had the tying run on third with one out when Marcus Semien stepped to the plate. After working a full count, he was called for a check-swing strike three on a low changeup. Semien and the Rangers bench were furious. Bruce Bochy came out asking for an explanation, while the dugout kept chirping. Semien insisted he didn’t go and urged the umpire to lock in, pointing out the situation: game on the line, tying run on third.
After the inning ended on a groundout, Semien was still talking. He approached the ump calmly to explain his side. He said the pitch was ball four and that the ump needed to stay focused in big moments. The ump tossed him. That quickly led to the pitching coach getting booted too. Then Bochy came out steaming, calling the whole thing garbage. He joined the ejectees and got in the ump’s face before walking off. In total, three Rangers were tossed within minutes over the controversial strike three. Players and coaches kept checking the replay afterward, trying to decide if Semien had really gone around, but no one could agree.