Just two days ago, Alex Rodriguez praised the Philadelphia Phillies for making an incredible turnaround since firing Rob Thomson in April, going from 9–19 to 50–41. The veteran said he wouldn’t be surprised “if this team is in the mix to win a World Series in the second half.” If only he knew what was in store for the team… Nothing went right for Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, and there’s only so long a person can contain his frustration.

The Phillies had a rough night as they trailed the Kansas City Royals 10–1 by the sixth inning, and Kyle Schwarber had just gone 0-for-3. However, it was his third strikeout that he didn’t agree with. He checked his swing as his team was 9 runs behind, but the plate umpire ruled that he had gone around. As a result, it was called a swinging strike. The 33-year-old waved his hand to express his disagreement with the decision, and Alan Porter ejected him almost instantly. The video of the same was posted by Jomboy Media on X.

“Yeah, he didn’t come close to swinging there,” a fan defended Schwarber on social media after the ejection. 

Even the commentators weren’t on the same page as the home plate umpire.

“He waved him off. It’s not like he paraded him. He obviously showed him up by waving him off, but it’s not like he sat there and said anything,” they argued.

Interim manager Don Mattingly rushed from the dugout to have a word with the official, but nothing could change the decision. Porter later explained that Mattingly explained that Schwarber merely waved his hand and voiced frustration toward the third-base umpire following the checked-swing strikeout.

“I feel like [Alan Porter] knows there’s frustration in a game like this. I felt like he could have waited, you know? He didn’t need to do that,” the manager said after the game. 

Notably, this was Schwarber’s first ejection since his infamous outburst against Angel Hernandez in April 2022. After a missed call from the umpire, the 4x All-Star threw his bat and then slammed his helmet. Then he had an animated tirade toward the official, which went on for about 10 seconds. 

Now fast forward to Monday, and the umpire argued that Kyle Schwarber didn’t even say a word to the umpire. Yet the MLB official sent him off. 

Just about a week ago, Willson Contreras mocked a check-swing decision from the umpire by tapping his helmet, and Nic Lentz was quick to eject him. It drew criticism in the same way. And many fans argued that umpires have become increasingly quick to punish demonstrative gestures.

However, Schwarber’s reaction on Monday was just a part of a much bigger frustration. 

Phillies’ ugly loss piles pressure after recent optimism

Cristopher Sanchez entered the final game with a 2.00 ERA and a 10-3 record. The Royals put 6 runs on the board in the very first inning. On the other hand, the Philadelphia starter allowed 12 hits and 9 ERs over 3.1 innings, and he was able to strike out only one batter. 

And the rest of the Phillies’ rotation wasn’t any better either. They gave away at least one run in each inning, and the offense never got going. It ended with a 15-1 result for Kansas City. 

The Phillies didn’t just lose the series. It was their worst defeat this season, and Sanchez suffered the worst outing of his MLB career. It became so hopeless that after Schwarber’s ejection, Mattingly pulled Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and J.T. Realmuto from the remainder of the game to rest them. 

Although they are still second in the NL East, the Miami Marlins have moved to within one game of them. Monday’s lopsided defeat also dropped their run differential into negative territory (-7) for the first time since early May.

The condition is much more concerning than Kyle Schwarber’s ejection. Although they are very much in the playoff race, the Phillies need to respond quickly. They have to halt the slide before the divisional race becomes tighter.