Can Tony Vitello surpass Aaron Boone in ejections? It certainly seems so, with the way the San Francisco Giants manager is climbing the ejection list. His temper ran hot again during a costly third inning on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. As his ejection tally rose to five, the rookie manager had his $90 million ace alongside him.
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On Friday, the Giants lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and two disputed third-inning calls played a huge role. By the end of the third inning, the D-backs held a 6-3 lead, and the Giants’ dugout was not happy. First-year manager Vitello was caught hollering at home plate umpire Alan Porter from the dugout. A red-faced Logan Webb was yelling from the rails. The umpiring crew tossed both the player and the manager for the rest of the matchup. Jomboy Media posted a video of the events leading to the double ejection and the argument that followed on X.
“Tony Vitello and Logan Webb were both ejected after arguing… Nolan Arenado double was a foul ball,” Jomboy Media wrote on X.
With one out and nobody on at the top of the third, Tidwell was ahead in count (1-2) with Lars Nootbar at the plate. He thought he had struck him out on the next pitch, but Porter ruled it a ball. The Giants catcher did not challenge the call either. Nootbar then doubled and paved the way for Corbin Carroll’s two-run homer. The D-backs took a 3-2 lead.
The inning took an even more costly turn afterwards. With two outs, Geraldo Perdomo reached first, then Nolan Arenado sent the ball down the third-base line. The ball bounced into foul territory, but third-base umpire Alex MacKay ruled it fair. The Giants disagreed, but had to accept it, as a judgment call cannot be reviewed.
The Giants did not argue until the end of the third, when Tim Tawa hit a three-run homer, and Tidwell struck out James McCann. After the inning, Vitello gestured from the dugout, arms outstretched, to show just how foul the ball was. His actions prompted Porter to eject the manager. The ejection followed a heated argument between Vitello and the umpire.
Postgame, Vitello told the reporters that Porter “didn’t like that I didn’t go onto the field to argue it.”
While Vitello left the game with his fifth managerial ejection under his belt, Webb recorded his first. The ace was at the rail, yelling at third-base umpire MacKay. But surprisingly enough, MacKay did not hand Webb, who signed a 5 year, $90,000,000 contract, his first career ejection. Rather, it was second-base umpire Roberto Ortiz who tossed him.
“I don’t think I get mad at umpires very often,” Webb told postgame, per MLB.com. “I thought that inning just didn’t need to happen. So, yeah, I was just letting my frustrations out, sticking up for my guys.”
In the fourth inning, the Giants brought the game down to a run, 6-5, with a two-run shot from Christian Koss. However, it did not last, as the D-backs regained their lead in the latter half of the frame. Ildemaro Vargas hit an RBI single and later scored to bring Arizona ahead 9-5. McCann drove in Perdomo for the winning run in the next frame.
After the matchup, Blade Tidwell expressed his feelings about the third-inning ejections.
Blade Tidwell enjoyed Vitello and Webb backing him up
The San Francisco Giants called up rookie pitcher Blade Tidwell from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in August. Since then, he has recorded 5 starts in 13 outings. On Friday, he started against the Arizona Diamondbacks and threw 100 pitches across 5 innings. He surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits, including 3 homers.
Friday also marked Tidwell’s first loss as a starter this season. As Tidwell’s third inning turned costly due to two controversial calls, Vitello and Webb argued on his behalf. The duo got tossed, but Tidwell was grateful for the support.
“I thought it was awesome that my manager and one of my vets had my back,” Tidwell told MLB.com. “It was definitely cool to see. That was winning camaraderie. I think if we all get on the same page that way, we should have success as time goes.”
In 13 outings, Tidwell holds a 4.54 ERA across the 37.2 innings he pitched for the Giants. San Francisco acquired Tidwell from the New York Mets in July 2025.
For Vitello, the ejection was yet another reminder of how quickly emotions can boil over in a game where every call matters. With five ejections already under his belt, the rookie manager is certainly making his presence felt, even if he would rather do so from the dugout.