Tony Vitello’s first season with an MLB team didn’t go well. The San Francisco Giants finished fourth in the NL West with a 65-97 record, while Vitello himself got ejected for a league-leading seventh time. Nothing changed in their season’s 162nd game as the Giants surrendered to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Vitello was ejected for arguing a check swing.

Before the 2026 season, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian wanted an innovative, high-energy leader with a proven track record of developing players. Vitello, who built the University of Tennessee into a powerhouse and led the Volunteers to the 2024 College World Series, was touted as perfect. The season went otherwise.

“Tony Vitello has been ejected after arguing this check-swing call,” SF Giants on NBCS shared via X.

The season’s final game also didn’t go without a tussle. The incident unfolded during the top of the third inning with runners on first and second base. Dodgers star Mookie Betts appeared to offer at a high 2-2 fastball from Giants left-hander Sam Hentges. However, first-base umpire Marvin Hudson ruled that Betts had checked his swing, and the ball remained in the dirt, keeping the at-bat alive.

Vitello believed Betts had crossed the plate and should have been called out on strikes. He immediately stood on the dugout railing to berate the officiating crew. Home-plate umpire Ryan Blakney responded with a quick hook. It prompted an irate Vitello to storm onto the field to continue the heated argument face-to-face with both Blakney and Hudson.

Vitello stormed back to the dugout, ejected.

The dismissal marked Vitello’s MLB-leading seventh ejection of the 2026 season. This wraps up his turbulent rookie year as a big-league manager in the clubhouse. The non-call ultimately did not damage the Giants on the scoreboard in that frame. Hentges struck out Betts on the very next pitch. However, the Giants still surrendered the game.

The Giants managed only 5 hits in 33 at-bats, striking out 16 times. Their only run came in the second inning via an RBI single by Scott Bandura. The game was still tied 1-1 till the ninth.

In the top of the 10th, rookie reliever Duncan Davitt took the mound. After executing two quick outs, he faltered. He gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Alex Call and a crushing three-run home run to Andy Pages, cementing the 5-1 deficit.

Vitello’s 65-97 debut raises questions about his transition from college to the majors. Having spent decades coaching at schools like Missouri, TCU, Arkansas, and Tennessee, Vitello routinely prepared players for professional careers. This includes several who reached or were drafted by the Giants.

Vitello currently has a 3-year contract with the Giants through 2028. His 3-year contract runs through 2028, but the ejection rate may force a reckoning.

The Giants manager was more vocal than ever

Vitello’s ejections and frequent run-ins with umpires stemmed from a combination of his fiery coaching style transitioning from the college ranks and frustrations over tight or missed calls.

For reference, early this month, against the New York Mets, Turner Hill was involved in a play where it was questioned whether he was hit by a pitch. The play went to official replay review and was adjudicated. Under MLB rules, managers are strictly prohibited from coming out to argue after a replay center makes its final determination.

Still, Vitello stepped out anyway to protest, prompting umpire Jeremy Rayack to immediately eject him.

In another game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Believing Nolan Arenado’s grounder had traveled foul, Vitello engaged in a heated dispute with umpire Allen Porter, resulting in his removal from the game. The frustrations trickled into the dugout, where second-base umpire Roberto Ortiz subsequently threw out Giants pitcher Logan Webb as well.

Hence, Vitello brought that same emotional style to the major leagues. But as far as the 2026 season is concerned, it failed to change the fortune of the Giants.