Another day brought another argument, and once again, an ejection followed. Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins became the latest person to be tossed after repeatedly arguing about Zack Wheeler’s foot placement. The dispute escalated in the fourth inning when Popkins yelled, “Get him on the rubber!” from the dugout, prompting home-plate umpire John Tumpane to eject him.

The home-plate umpire ejected Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins after he repeatedly complained that Zack Wheeler’s foot was coming off the pitching rubber during his delivery. Wheeler responded by looking toward the Toronto dugout and appearing to mouth, “F*** you,” at Popkins.

The drama unfolded in the 4th inning. The incident was sparked by an argument over Wheeler’s foot placement on the pitching rubber. Popkins and the Blue Jays dugout continuously argued from the bench that Wheeler’s foot was coming off the rubber illegally during his windup. After repeated warnings, Tumpane called a timeout, yelled “I don’t wanna hear about the rubber anymore,” and ejected Popkins from the game. Wheeler also chose not to stay quiet, especially with the Phillies already dealing with the frustration of a difficult night.

Wheeler’s night was far from smooth, but he still managed to keep the Phillies within striking distance. He allowed four runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings while issuing five walks, his highest total in a game since 2019. Even with the command issues and the ongoing dispute over his delivery, Wheeler continued to battle through Toronto’s lineup and avoided letting the game get completely out of hand.

His toughest test came in the sixth inning against Nathan Lukes. With Wheeler already over 100 pitches, Lukes worked a 15-pitch at-bat, fouling off 10 pitches before eventually lining a single. The marathon plate appearance pushed Wheeler to 116 pitches, his highest total in an outing since May 2021, and effectively ended his night shortly afterward.

From the Blue Jays’ perspective, they reportedly used video angles to track Wheeler’s delivery, believing his right foot was stepping entirely off the first-base side of the rubber during his windup. By MLB official rules, a pitcher must touch the pitching rubber (the pivot foot) when starting any pitch. Part of the pivot foot must touch or stay in contact with the pitching rubber (pitcher’s plate) when beginning the windup or set position. According to the Jays’ video evidence, Wheeler’s pivot foot frequently missed the rubber, which led Popkins to complain.

However, even after ejecting Popkins, tension didn’t end.

Toronto manager John Schneider entered the field and talked with the home plate umpire. “We were just getting information that his foot was off the rubber … on the first base side from video angles with that little step back from the windup, and I’m just gonna do everything I can to protect my guys,” Schneider said after the game.

The Phillies pitcher, though, remained unabated by the tensions. “I’m gonna keep doing what I do. I’ve been pitching over there forever, and I’m gonna keep doing it,” Wheeler said after the game. “You know, they’ve lost a lot of games over there, so they’re probably trying to pick some things up to complain about.”

However, it just added to another case of umpiring controversies in MLB. For the Blue Jays, though, the night ended on a positive note.

The Blue Jays’ New Additions Proved Fruitful

While the Blue Jays’ 4-5 win on Friday despite the controversial decision deserves credit, their new trade additions also proved right.

Acquired just days earlier from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline in exchange for shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, the 27-year-old Jose Soriano gave his new club a highly competitive, mixed-bag performance. Soriano relied on a heavy mix of fastballs and his signature knuckle-curve to keep a dangerous Phillies lineup off-balance.

Soriano finished the night with 1 ER and 3 SOs. Apart from this, Soriano showed maturity and composure in the 5th inning. After walking Bryson Stott and giving up a double to Justin Crawford, Soriano found himself with runners on second and third with nobody out. Showing immense composure, he struck out Schwarber and Turner back-to-back using a heavy dosage of knuckle-curves before exiting the game.

The Blue Jays were facing a pitching crunch a few weeks back. Induction of Soriano could fill the gap to some extent.