How Blake Butera's First MLB Ejection Could Benefit the Nationals in the Long Run
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The Washington Nationals finally got back into the win column on Wednesday night.
After losing their previous seven contests in a row -- the longest streak of their season -- the Nationals rebounded and won a crazy game over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 11th inning that had a little bit of everything.
But what happened at the start of this divisional showdown on Monday could have a lasting impact on Washington. During that 6-3 loss to the Phillies on Aug. 3, the Nationals had to finish the game without manager Blake Butera in the dugout since he was ejected in the top of the seventh inning. And according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), the skipper's first-career MLB ejection was viewed favorably within the clubhouse.
Blake Butera Showed Fight in a Trying Time
The insider reported that Butera getting tossed like he did "was appreciated inside the clubhouse." That is a notable piece of information to come out after a frustrating loss where Washington was up 3-0 at the time of Butera's ejection before another bullpen collapse cost this team a win.
Perhaps it has something to do with everything that transpired beforehand. The Nationals dealt Luis Garcia Jr. to the New York Yankees a day before the trade deadline, and then on deadline day -- right before the game was set to get underway -- they turned around and shipped out their best pitcher -- Foster Griffin -- to the Cleveland Guardians.
That was the result of Washington losing, as they went from right in the mix for an NL wild card spot to being on the outside looking in with long playoff odds. Tearing things down once again is a hard pill to swallow, even more a coaching staff that just arrived to town. So to see Butera get in the face of the umpire on Monday and have the backs of his guys to the point where he got tossed, that showed that the first-year manager will fight through the end of the season, no matter who is on the roster.
After all, Butera's ejection wasn't centered around CJ Abrams or James Wood or Cade Cavalli or any of the other franchise cornerstones on the team. It was centered around Nasim Nunez, who might not even be with the Nationals in 2027 based on the eventual arrival of top prospect Seaver King.
But regardless, Butera stood up for his guys -- coaching staff included -- in what was a heated showdown with umpire Manny Gonzalez. That was the latest example of why people inside the clubhouse and the organization as a whole believe Butera is the right man for the job.
And with that belief in place, it's much easier to deal with the hard times that are likely to come in the second half of this season, which will only benefit this franchise in the long run after they appear to be ahead of schedule under the leadership of this new regime.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai