The Cincinnati Reds had little go their way during the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Monday, and things only got worse after a six-run seventh inning. With the pressure continuing to mount, frustration finally boiled over when an on-field incident involving the umpire cost them a potential out, and pitcher Caleb Ferguson couldn’t contain his emotions.

“F***ing fa***s, get out of the way. Fat [explicit],” he hurled at Bill Miller, as per the X post from Jomboy Media. 

Although the Reds couldn’t put anything on the scoreboard, they were still in the game through the top of the seventh inning, trailing 1-0. The Mariners then broke it open in the bottom of the inning by scoring six more runs to make it 7-0. The biggest blow came from Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit a grand slam.

Shortly afterwards, Victor Robles hit a grounder off Ferguson’s fastball towards the shortstop side of second base. While Miller was trying to move away, he eventually got in the way of Reds second baseman Edwin Arroyo. The fielder couldn’t complete the play, and Cole Young reached from first base to third. 

Had Arroyo gloved the ball, it could have resulted in an out, ending the inning for the Mariners. Instead, it created an opportunity to add more runs on the board. That’s what blew the lid off Ferguson’s frustration, and he had some choice words for the crew chief. 

However, Bill Miller understood what had happened, and he remained calm. He has been officiating major league games since 1997 and served as a crew chief for over a decade. So, he just acknowledged the whole incident with a nod and didn’t feel the need to eject anyone. 

Notably, there was a similar incident on June 24 during the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs matchup. Pete Crow-Armstrong attempted to steal third base in the eighth inning. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez tried to throw him out, but his throwing motion was obstructed by home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater.

While PCA was safe at third, Scheurwater called interference on himself. According to the rules, it was a dead ball, and Crow-Armstrong had to move back to second. But with the Reds, the umpire was physically blocking the path of a fielder. MLB rules don’t consider this a dead ball. That’s why the umpire didn’t call interference, and the play continued. 

Despite the boiling emotion at the moment, the pitcher changed his stance in less than 24 hours. 

Caleb Ferguson owned the moment

Before the start of the second game, the 30-year-old lefty found enough time for self-reflection, and he admitted that his frustration towards the umpire was not the right thing. 

“As long as I’ve been in this game, I don’t think you’ll find a clip of me going at an umpire like that,” Ferguson said Tuesday. “I’ll wear that on the chest, seek Bill out and definitely make it right with him. Very unprofessional on my part. I’ve got to be better.”

Reds manager Terry Francona was asked about the umpire’s positioning in that game, but he didn’t feel it was his job to evaluate it. 

“That’s on them. It’s discouraging that it happened,” he said.

The Cincinnati Reds started the season on a high note, but they are currently sitting at the bottom of the NL Central. Although they managed to win the first series of the second half, the 8-0 defeat against the Mariners was a hard blow. So it’s easy to understand the growing discontent among the players as they are unable to achieve better results. Yet, the way Ferguson shifted his stance showed class. 

“It’s just a very unprofessional thing on my part,” Caleb Ferguson said. “I know these things happen within the game. But I don’t like that I was kind of the centerpiece of this.”

He lost his cool after an expensive inning, but he chose to conclude the incident with accountability.