Yangervis Solarte, the 39-year-old veteran infielder, owns 620 MLB hits and 6.7 career WAR. Yet one pitch that appeared to miss the zone in a Venezuelan Professional Baseball League game sent him to an early shower.
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With Tiburones de La Guaira chasing a late rally in the top of the ninth on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Estadio José Pérez Colmenares in Maracay, the flashpoint arrived in a game Tigres de Aragua won 5-4.
Home plate umpire Leonardo Nieves called a fourth pitch that appeared to miss the strike zone, and Solarte protested loudly. Nieves tossed him mid-at-bat, and Tiburones manager Fernando Tatis followed after the argument widened.
Fans and commentators fixated on the Tigres catcher, who heavily framed, or mascoteó, a pitch they judged clearly outside the zone. Even so, arguing balls and strikes is an ejectable offense, which made Solarte’s reaction costly.
This marks a familiar script. On July 2, 2015, Solarte, playing for the San Diego Padres as a third baseman, threw his helmet down and screamed at umpire Bob Davidson when a check swing on a 2-2 changeup ended in a strikeout.
This was the first ejection of his career, and it took place in the top of the sixth inning as the San Diego Padres were facing the St. Louis Cardinals. His coaches and his manager had to remove him from the game.
His ejections are remarkable against a consistent record. Solarte has compiled a career batting average of .258/.315/.408 along with 75 home runs, 307 RBIs, a 98 OPS+, and a .723 OPS, which is below average.
That ejection piled onto a rough night for Tiburones, and the scoreboard explains why.
Tigres Rally Past Tiburones as the Ejections Overshadow a Close Finish
Solarte’s ejection capped a night of frustration, because Tigres had already flipped the script on Tiburones. After Tiburones grabbed an early lead, Tigres sluggers David Rodríguez and Keyber Rodríguez each launched a home run to swing momentum back toward the home dugout.
Tigres’ bullpen then slammed the door on Tiburones’ late push, sealing a 5-4 victory in Maracay. It also completed a two-game sweep, following a 7-6 win in 10 innings on Saturday, in which Tigres hitter Lorenzo Cedrola helped decide the game with key hits.
Tigres improved their record to 5-1 and are now very close to the top of the regular-season standings of the LVBP 2026-2027 season, while the Tiburones have lost for the fourth time in a row after a difficult start to the season trying to find themselves.
The loss of a 39-year-old batter and a manager in a single inning puts Tiburones in quite a difficult situation, so the next series will be the test of how fast they can recover from that disappointment.