Players getting ejected for fiery arguments and heated exchanges with the umpires is nothing new in baseball. But what happened in the Cubs-Tigers showdown was something truly out of the ordinary. An ejection for doing absolutely nothing! Yes, you read that right. Nico Hoerner, the Cubs’ reliable slugger, found himself ejected without any visible sign of dissent. No shouting, no gestures, not even a muttered complaint. So, did he slam the helmet? No. Not even that!

No wonder it has sparked outrage, confusion, and a whole lot of conversation among the fans. And understandably so, because if that’s an ejection, what’s next?

It was assumed that Hoerner might have used some X-rated words that caused the ejection, but the audio clip is out now and we have found nothing offensive there. “You’re having a really bad day,” that’s all Hoerner said and that’s what caused the ejection!

The incident happened in the top of the fifth inning with the Cubs trailing the Tigers 2-0. Hoerner stepped to the plate with a runner on second and worked the count to 2-2.

The pitch from the Tigers starter, Jack Flaherty, seemed low and tailed well inside. But the home plate umpire Derek Thomas saw it differently. He rang Hoerner up for the second out of the inning. Till then, it was all normal.

But it took a wrong turn when Hoerner turned around and questioned the call. However, before he could get a word in, Thomas had already thrown his hand in the air. And Hoerner was ejected. Just like that!

And with that, baseball had its latest controversy. Not over a missed call, but over how quickly the trigger was pulled on a player who dared to turn around. But hey, the drama didn’t just end there. It extended with the Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell turning to the field to protest the ejection. The result? He was the next to be ejected, triggering an uproar among the fans.

Fans are calling out the umpire for Nico Hoerner’s ejection

“Man, these umpires are so soft,” wrote a fan. Well, the umpire could have easily let it pass. As per what MLB’s official rule states, there is nothing wrong in questioning the umpire’s call until it takes an aggressive stance. Hoerner getting ejected just for protesting the decision made no sense because he was not being aggressive at all.

Another fan thinks the incident was “not warranted.” Absolutely. That’s another debate if the strike call was right or wrong, but there was nothing there in the player’s action for the umpire to elevate the issue. Now that the audio has come out, it’s quite clear.

“Let the computer call balls and strikes already,” a netizen chimed in. Do you agree?

With active ABS, players are allowed to challenge a ball or strike call. Each team is typically given three challenges per game, and if a challenge is successful, the team retains it. If the challenge is unsuccessful, it’s lost. So, no arguments, no wrong calls, and no ejections. Just a better and more player-friendly version of baseball.

ABS has already been implemented in the minors and it is expected to be there in the majors as well by next year.

“Two excellent teams were having a great series, but the umpires kept getting in the way,” wrote another fan. Same feeling all around! What a series the Cubs were having against the Tigers. The first game went to the Tigers, while the Cubs made a comeback in the second. That left the third game as a series decider, but intensity got lost with these wrong umpire calls.

Fans deserve a good product. While the players are responsible for offering a better product to the fans, it is also up to the umpires to officiate properly. Ejecting players and managers just at will might spoil an intense series finale, as it did on this occasion.

One fan demanded action from MLB, writing, “I mean, this is just egregious. MLB, I’m hoping a suspension is inbound.” Well, do you remember Angel Hernandez? His most infamous call was missing three calls at first base in the 2018 ALDS game (Red Sox vs. Yankees). Any corrective measures taken by MLB after that? Not really! It is very unlikely there will be any actions this time around either.

All the solutions lie with ABS. It’s needed now more than ever.