Moment: Bizarre ejection from MLB spring game for Phillies catcher

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was ejected Monday in a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays for an awkward ball exchange that followed a pitch-clock violation.

Home plate umpire Randy Rosenberg had just finished calling a ball on Phillies pitcher Craig Kimbrel for taking too long on the mound when the at-bat in the fourth inning devolved into the bizarre ejection.

Kimbrel asked for a fresh ball after the violation, and Rosenberg threw him one.

Kimbrel then threw out that baseball and asked for another.

Rosenberg tried handing that ball to Realmuto to throw, but the catcher blindly turned his glove away and the ball dropped to the ground.

Rosenberg, thinking Realmuto was trying to show him up, immediately ejected the Phillies catcher.

Realmuto, still squatting in his catcher’s position with his back to Rosenberg, turned around and expressed confusion about what had just happened.

“How does he expect me to know he’s giving me the ball right there?” Realmuto said to the Philadelphia Inquirer after the game. “I’m not even looking at him.”

Realmuto made his way off the diamond with a few rah-rah fist pumps for the crowd.

[faieta]

The whole team should have gone out, so the umpire would not be that narcissist

[johnathandietz]

Wow, 2 balls and an ejected catcher, and he didn't even pitch once. That is the worst umpire I have ever seen

[robertburch]

Wahh waahhhh I don’t like the pitch clock so I’ll throw 2 balls out!!! Sorry buddy, it has made your boring sport a little more tolerable.