On Friday, MLB umpires tossed someone for the 121st time in the 2026 regular season. It was the New York Mets’ 22-year-old star, AJ Ewing’s turn, a career first for the rookie. The lack of definite rules regarding check swings in MLB was once again at the forefront as a player and umpires clashed.
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The New York Mets opened their last series on the road with a 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals. At the top of the eighth during the series opener, Ewing checked his swing on a full-count pitch, but third-base umpire James Hoye rang him up to end the inning. But Ewing did not go back to the dugout without a fight. Frustrated with the call, Ewing barked at the umpire and tossed his bat, prompting Hoye to eject him. Jomboy Media posted a video of Ewing’s ejection on X.
“A.J. Ewing received his first career ejection after lashing out at the third base umpire over a check-swing call,” wrote Jomboy Media.
Unlike the minor leagues, MLB has left check-swing calls to the umpire’s discretion. In the minor leagues, a checked swing is a full swing if the angle between the bat’s head and the handle exceeds 45 degrees. There is no such definitive rule in MLB, and it often results in plenty of controversy between umpires and players/managers.
AJ Ewing’s ejection is one such incident. The umpires determined that Ewing swung too far and called him out on strike three. Ewing was visibly displeased and vehemently protested. During the game, check swings troubled Ewing, as he struck out similarly in a previous at-bat.
Broadcast cameras caught Ewing spewing expletives as he headed back to the dugout.
“That’s a f—ing joke,” a frustrated Ewing yelled at the umpire as he was ejected.
Ewing’s ejection might appear familiar to the Metsies who were watching late-season games in 2025. When the Mets and the Nationals met last season on September 21, Mark Vientos was also ejected after a check-swing, strike-three call.
Initially, home plate umpire John Tumpane ruled the pitch a ball, but first-base umpire Chris Conroy claimed that Vientos went around. Vientos reacted by slamming his bat, and Tumpane ejected him. It was Vientos’ first MLB ejection.
Coming back to Ewing, the rookie went hitless in his 4 at-bats during the game. The Mets also lost to the Nationals despite scoring first.
For the series opener, New York used Jefry Yan as an opener and employed a series of other relievers. That plan did not work as well, as the Nationals scored four runs in the third inning to take the lead. The Mets’ pitching staff threw four wild pitches in a single inning. The Nationals scored two consecutive wild pitches off Jonathan Pintaro. By the end of the inning, the Nationals were leading 6-3 following Keibert Ruiz’s RBI single.
The Mets tried to rally back in the fifth with solo homers from Carson Benge and Bo Bichette. But it was ultimately futile. Dylan Crews’ solo homer scored the winning run for the Nationals, while Brett Baty scored the final run for the Mets on Francisco Alvarez’s sacrifice fly, cementing the score at 7-6 in Washington’s favor.
While the Mets are set to finish at the bottom of the NL East for the first time since 2003, the season was a good one for Carson Benge, individually. The rookie has also set a record.
Carson Benge sets rookie record
Carson Benge etched his name forever in the New York Mets franchise history on Friday. Called up to the big leagues on March 26, the 23-year-old rookie hit his 20th home run of the season against the Washington Nationals.
Benge launched his 407-foot solo shot in the fifth inning off starter Andrew Alvarez. He is now the first New York Mets rookie to have a 20/20 season. SNY announced the news on X.
“I feel like anything that can be in the history books and done for the first time is something special,” Benge reportedly said after hitting the 20/20 milestone. “I hold that close to my heart. God is good all the time.”
Benge became the 18th rookie in major league history to set a similar record. Recently, with his 156th hit of the season, Benge also surpassed Pete Alonso for the most hits by a rookie in franchise history.
This season, Benge posted a .277/.342/.426 slashline with 20 homers, 64 RBIs and 21 doubles.
The Mets will play the Nationals again on Saturday, though the game has been moved up to 12:35 PM from 4:05 PM due to forecasted nor’easters.