SI

Phillies Broadcast Scolds Ump For Hot-Headed Spat With Ejected Rob Thomson

Kristen Wong

Screengrab on Twitter/ @MLBONFOX
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Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson was thrown out in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles after a heated argument with the ump that contained more finger-pointing and close-quarters yelling than most.

With the Phillies down 8–2, Orioles’ Corbin Burnes threw a pitch near Phillies’ Garrett Stubbs’s feet. Stubbs started to head to first base but was brought back to continue his plate appearance.

Thomson started arguing with plate umpire Mike Estabrook about the hit batter call, and as the broadcast zoomed in on the pair, Thomson’s face grew more and more animated as the spat went on. Estabrook ejected Thomson, but afterward, the two continued to engage in a fiery face-to-face confrontation that had to be broken up by the crew chief.

During the lengthy quarrel, the Phillies broadcast criticized Estabrook for his part in escalating the situation.

“This is where the umpire needs to have a little more discretion. He’s going to get more upset with Estabrook yelling back at him. It’s funny, when the manager goes out to argue, the crew chief goes in and breaks it up. Why is he letting this go on?... Now they’ll probably say, ‘Oh he bumped me, he’s gonna get suspended.’ What a joke.”

The Phillies ended up losing 8–3 to the Orioles at Camden Yards.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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