Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was ejected for the first time in his big league career Monday, but he didn’t exactly get his money’s worth.
Realmuto was tossed in the fourth inning of Philadelphia’s spring training matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays following a mix-up with home-plate umpire Randy Rosenberg. After motioning for a baseball, Realmuto pulled his glove away once he evidently thought Rosenberg was going to throw it to the mound himself. Rosenberg, however, tried to drop the baseball in Realmuto’s mitt, which created a pretty awkward scene.
The incident occurred moments after Phillies pitcher Craig Kimbrel was called for a pitch-clock violation. According to Realmuto, Rosenberg thought the glove pull was an attempt to show him up out of frustration for the infraction.
“How does he expect me to know he’s giving me the ball right there?” Realmuto told reporters, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not even looking at him.
“I said, ‘Dude, I thought you were throwing the ball.’ He said, ‘I’m not gonna buy that.'”
Rosenberg is a Triple-A umpire who is eligible to call games at the MLB level in spring training and during the regular season as a fill-in. Crew chief Dan Iassogna, a big league ump since 1999, believes Rosenberg did not act hastily in running Realmuto from the game.
Regardless, it’s a pretty funny way for Realmuto to wrap up spring training. The star catcher and the Phillies will begin their National League pennant defense Thursday when they visit the Texas Rangers for an Opening Day matchup.
