Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines was ejected after only three pitches were thrown in Wednesday night's game at Houston for arguing with the home plate umpire about two called strikes.
After Pirates leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen took the first pitch of his at-bat for a ball, Astros starter Framber Valdez threw two sinkers that appeared to be a bit below the strike zone. However, home plate umpire Nestor Ceja called both of them strikes, giving McCutchen a 1-2 count. McCutchen was not too bent out of shape, but the calls appeared to set off Haines, who could be heard screaming from the dugout "THAT'S LOW!" and "THAT'S A BALL!"
Understandably, Ceja didn't want to hear it, especially so early in the game, so he tossed Haines. Haines was not going to leave the game without getting his money's worth, so he got in Ceja's face and dropped an F-bomb or two before the other umpires and Pirates manager Derek Shelton separated them.
Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines was HEATED after these strike calls on Andrew McCutchen and is ejected from the game after only three pitches pic.twitter.com/W7Vi2HoMZp
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 1, 2024
After returning to the dugout, Haines could be heard shouting "DO YOUR JOB!" before heading to the locker room.
We saw Shelton get ejected earlier this month after arguing balls and strikes. The Pirates are still in the hunt for the National League Central title, so these games still mean something. Although it seems a bit much for an assistant coach like Haines to get bent out of shape at such an early stage of the game, you have to appreciate their passion.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
