Craig Kimbrel found himself in the middle of an awkward and avoidable spring training mess, but it was JT Realmuto who paid the price. Kimbrel was called for a pitch clock violation when his leg didn’t lift before the clock hit zero, even though the difference was barely perceptible. The umpire, a minor league call-up working spring training, made the call confidently. As tensions slightly rose, Kimbrel asked for a new ball. Realmuto, assuming he’d be the one getting the ball from the ump, held out his glove. But the ump tossed the ball directly to Kimbrel.
Realmuto watched this, figured his glove wasn’t needed anymore, and innocently pulled it back. The ump, mid-throw, took that as disrespect, thinking the catcher intentionally dropped his glove to make him look stupid. He immediately tossed Realmuto from the game. Realmuto tried to explain that he thought the ump was throwing the ball to Kimbrel again and wasn’t even looking. The ump, flustered and probably embarrassed, didn’t budge. It was Realmuto’s first career ejection after over 2,000 games, and it came from a misread exchange involving a baseball and a misunderstanding. The Phillies catcher left with a smile, probably laughing at how ridiculous it all was, while the rookie umpire looked like he knew he had overreacted and lost control of the moment.