Starling Marte’s strange day at the ballpark came to an early end when he was ejected for claiming a strikeout call.
The Mets right fielder, who was involved in an inexplicable double play in the second inning, was called out by home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez in the top of the fourth inning against the Guardians on Monday at Progressive Field.
Starter Ben Lively’s pitch must have looked outside to Marte, but he appeared to have caught the corner.
Marte shrugged his shoulders in annoyance, appeared to step back slightly to express his displeasure with Gonzalez, and then threw his bat toward the Mets dugout as the inning ended.
According to the broadcast, SNY cameras did not capture the actual ejection because Gonzalez threw Marte away on his way back to his right field position.
“I was surprised that he kicked me out there,” Marte said through an interpreter. “I felt like I had to tell him what was going on at that point and I felt like he called a lot of bad throws at that point throughout the game. It was happening and we Given the situation he was in, I felt it was appropriate for me to say something to him.”
Marte returned to home plate with open arms, Harrison Bader right behind him, seeking clarification from Gonzalez.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also had a lively conversation with Gonzalez about his decision.
Tyrone Taylor entered the game in his place.
SNY analyst Ron Darling disputed the exit time.
“Umpires always say, ‘You can’t debate balls and strikes,'” Darling said. “If a player is walking towards his position, let him be. Let him go out and play. Nobody came to see the referee. They came to see Marte. is.”
Marte’s day started strangely when the pitcher and Marte had a chance to turn things around and hit a 1-6-5-3 double play. After the pitcher and Marte had a chance to make a comeback, JD Martinez was tagged out on a double.
