Stephen Strasburg was ejected for heckling while sitting in the stands of an empty stadium as the weirdest MLB season continues
- Stephen Strasburg was ejected from Thursday's game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets.
- Strasburg wasn't playing in the game.
- The pitcher was watching from the stands but was forced to leave after criticizing an umpire a little too loudly.
Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was ejected on Thursday from a game he wasn't even playing in.
Strasburg took in Thursday's afternoon game against the Mets as a fan, sitting in the empty stands of CitiField. He is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Orioles,
In the bottom of the third inning, the Nationals were in a bit of trouble. With Mets slugger Pete Alonso at the plate with the bases loaded in a tie game, Nationals pitcher Austin Voth threw a fastball low on a 2-2 count that barely scraped the bottom of the strike zone. It was as close a call as there is in baseball, and home plate umpire Carlos Torres called the pitch a ball, leaving Alonso with a full count.
The Nationals were clearly upset with the call. After some initial chirping from the dugout, Torres turned his attention to the crowd, pointed to Strasburg, and ejected him from the game for some unseemly criticisms.
Strasburg tipped his cap to Torres on his way out, seemingly pleased with himself.
With no fans in the stands in the age of social distancing, it's up to the players to let umpires know when they're messing up. Strasburg was clearly happy to do his part.
- Read more: