Red Sox color commentator Will Middlebrooks ripped into an umpire for an ejection call on Monday, calling it “an absolute joke” and “embarrassing to the game.”
In the bottom of the second inning, when Boston first baseman Willson Contreras struck out on a check swing, it appeared he did not say a word to the umpire, but instead tapped his head, signaling he wanted to challenge the play.
First-base umpire Nic Lentz immediately ejected him.
“So basically saying, ‘I disagree. I’m challenging that,’” Middlebrooks said on the NESN broadcast. “And you get tossed for that? Are you kidding me? How soft are we getting?”
Middlebrooks also said baseball is an “entertainment business” meant for fans, and that umpires should aim to keep the best players on the field.
Lentz explained the call to pool reporter Pete Abraham after the game, saying that a player mockingly tapping his helmet on a non-challengeable play is an automatic ejection.
“In a situation like this, where it’s pretty immediate and showing disagreement … it would be immediate ejection.”
Contreras said he was surprised at the call and felt he had a good relationship with Lentz. He said he thought he would be safe if he didn’t make eye contact.
Despite just two at-bats, Contreras hit a home run 421 feet to bring in two runners in the first inning, a lead the Red Sox never gave up in a 6-3 victory over the Nationals.
It was an emotional event for Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, who dedicated the home run to their home country after they faced a tragic earthquake, killing over 1,700 people.
“The homer just represents something that I prayed to God for it to happen, because that’s the only thing that I can do for Venezuela right now, physically, and that’s when my emotions showed,” Contreras said. “I was thinking of so many kids that have died, so many people that have died, and it’s not easy to deal with it.”
Contreras said he had talked to Lentz before the game about the tragedy.