CHART: Ejections In Baseball Are Down, But Not As Much As You Might Think
With Major League Baseball's expanded replay system, one anticipated consequence was that there would be fewer arguments and ejections. But while manager ejections are down considerably this season, overall ejections are relatively unchanged.
Through four weeks, managers have been ejected seven times, down from ten at the same point last year and 11 in 2012. Managers are on pace to be ejected just 45 times, which would be a 46.0% drop from a year ago.
Ron Gardenhire, who also had five ejections in 2013, joked that he feels like he "should ask them out to dinner," but added "It's really not that much fun. It's kind of boring."
But at the same time, the ejections of non-managers (coaches and players) are actually up this season. Through four weeks there have been 25 ejections overall, the same amount as a year ago. If MLB keeps its current pace, there will be 162 ejections this season, just a 10.0% drop from 2013*.
It is not clear why players and coaches are being ejected more often, but they are making up for the lack excitement from managers.
* In 2013, the pace of ejections picked up slightly after the first four weeks.