JP Crawford wasn’t buying it.
In the top of the fifth inning on Wednesday, with the Mariners trailing by three runs to the Guardians, Crawford was out on a strike-three pitch that was well outside the zone, leaving a runner on second base.
The infuriated shortstop threw down his helmet and promptly stuck his finger in the face of home plate umpire Doug Eddings, who was ejected for a quick hook.
Mariners manager Scott Servais and third-base coach Manny Acta helped save the situation by moving Crawford away from Eddings.
However, Servais, who came on in place of Crawford, challenged both the decision and the dismissal and was sent off immediately after.
The empirical sequence seemed plausible.
according to X by @umpstrikezoneThe pitch to Crawford was three-tenths of an inch away from the zone.
According to RetroSheet, this ejection marks Crawford’s third of his career and his first since August 2022.
The loss of both Crawford and Servais caused the Mariners to struggle, and Seattle lost 8-0 to Cleveland.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibby sliced through Seattle’s lineup, allowing just three hits over six innings and striking out an impressive 12 batters.
But some relief has been found through social media efforts.
X-user @thejagepage ordered a Domino’s Pan Pizza on Crawford’s behalf at Progressive Field, and Crawford received it safely.
Despite Wednesday’s setback, the Mariners are enjoying a resurgent season, going 44-32 and sitting nine games ahead of first in the American League West.
This success came despite Crawford’s lengthy absence, with the shortstop missing 24 games with an oblique injury.
Crawford has played in 51 games but has not performed as well as he has in recent years.
His average dropped 61 points from 2023, and his weighted points creation plus (wRC+) dropped from 134 to a below-average 98.
The good news is that Crawford’s defense is back to normal, preventing just one run, a much higher mark than his minus-7 mark in 2022 and ’23.
Seattle will wrap up Game 3 of the series at Cleveland on Thursday in a final game between the two division leaders.
