Castellanos and Bell get ejected in the first inning, a breakdown

Aug 20, 2021 573.8K views 3:30

What Happened

In the bottom of the first inning of a crucial matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies, tensions are high as both teams fight for a playoff spot. Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos steps up to the plate, looking to build on the Reds' early 1-0 lead. The first pitch from Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is a curveball that Castellanos fouls off down the third base line. The second pitch, a curveball outside the strike zone, does not get the chase from Castellanos, and the umpire calls it a ball. On the third pitch, a borderline curveball, the umpire rings up Castellanos for the strikeout. Castellanos immediately expresses his disagreement, claiming the pitch was outside the zone. Castellanos begins kicking and laughing in the umpire's face, saying, "Really, you're going to call that a strike?" The umpire warns Castellanos, but the irate outfielder continues, telling the umpire, "You're really bad at your job." This leads to Castellanos being ejected from the game by the umpire. Reds manager David Bell rushes out to defend his player, arguing that the pitches were indeed balls and that the umpire should not have ejected Castellanos for simply expressing his frustration. Bell explains, "Those were balls off the plate, and he told me I was bad at my job. I don't eject them from my life when fans tell me that." The umpire stands his ground, telling Bell, "You can't say that to me. That's personal." The argument escalates, and the umpire ultimately ejects Bell as well, stating, "I had to. You had to be thrown out of the game." Bell is incredulous, arguing, "No, you just want to throw me out of the game because you can." The umpire stands firm, and Bell reluctantly heads to the dugout, clearly frustrated by the quick ejections of both himself and Castellanos. This heated exchange early in the game sets the tone for a tense and emotional matchup between the Reds and Phillies, as both teams fight to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Full Transcript

Click timestamps to jump to that moment

we've got two teams the reds and the

phillies both looking to get into the

playoffs tensions are high this was last

week the reds took an early one-nothing

lead on a home run by jonathan india and