YOU'RE GONE!

Does anybody else get excited when a manager gets tossed? Especially when he makes a good scene? I for one do. It’s a part of baseball that has been happening since presumably its inception. Sometimes a manager has to let the umpire know he disagrees and has to back his players. It can get the ball club going and save a player form being tossed. And it is exciting for the fans.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus wasn’t a fan of a called third strike on third baseman Nick Castellanos Monday night and was quickly tossed for arguing balls and strikes. He got his money’s worth though and even left his jacket at home plate in protest of the strike zone as a present for umpire Doug Eddings. The on-field microphones gave us an up close and personal look into the argument, for our amusement.  

Brad Ausmus has officially lost his mind! 😂https://t.co/tPTvYgerkb

— 120 Sports (@120Sports) May 17, 2016

There is a fine line though between getting tossed and making a good argument while getting your team fired up and making an ass out of yourself though. You have to know when to stop.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi got tossed on May 5 over what he deemed as a balk by Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman. Third base umpire Chris Guccione didn’t take kindly to his barking and gave him the heave causing Girardi to get fired up on the field and get into a shouting match with him. While the Yankees would go on to lose that night running their record to 9-16, since the ejection the Yankees have played to a 7-4 record including Monday night’s loss to the Diamondbacks.



While his ejection may or may not have gotten the Yankees going, it is plausible the clubhouse was happy to see their skipper have their back. Players do need that once in a while. It can create team unity and a sense that if the skipper is willing to have your back, you better have his and all 25 men on the roster.

According to totalprosports.com top 15 most ejected managers, former Yankees skipper Joe Torre was ejected 66 times ranking him ninth all time among managers. Torre wasn’t known as a hot head but he did manage 4,329 games so his 66 ejections does make sense.

Billy Martin was known as a hothead and had some good ones over his career. While he was before my time, I’ve heard some stories and seen videos. 

WS1976 Gm4: Martin ejected for arguing in the 9th

Bobby Cox leads all managers with 161 career ejections over 4,508 games. Cox managed for a very long time and was known for getting into it with umpires with whom he disagreed with. 

Number two on the list, while technically not a manager of the Yankees as we know them, did manage the 1901-1902 Baltimore Orioles who moved to New York to become known as the Highlanders before being formerly named the New York Yankees. That manager was John McGraw who was tossed 118 times over 4,768 games.

Former Yankees player and manager Sweet Lou Piniella got tossed 63 times over 3,544 games and when he did, he made it good. When I think of Lou getting thrown out, I think of the dirt kicking and hat coming off. He had some good ones in his day! 

On a comical note, minor league Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman had one of the greatest meltdowns and ejection tirades of all time. This is a fun one to watch! 



A manager getting thrown out of a game is just part of the game of baseball and creates excitement and buzz throughout the stadium while letting the ball club know the manager has their back. Just like fights in hockey, it creates attention and can be entertaining for the audience, whether at home or live at the ball game.

It’s just another part of the game that makes me love baseball!

 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia




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