Pirates' Don Kelly Addresses Ejection vs. Diamondbacks
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly isn't afraid of letting his feelings be known and even in big games.
Kelly earned himself an ejection in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Pirates series opener vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on July 27.
The disagreement for Kelly came when third base umpire Ben May called both of left fielder Bryan Reynolds' checked swings as strikes, especially on the second one, which Kelly ended up yelling at May and got tossed for it.
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Don Kelly was immediately ejected for arguing this brutal check swing call pic.twitter.com/PQaPFrvQUG
Pirates bench coach Kristopher Negrón took over as acting manager for the rest of the game, which ended up a 3-2 win for the home team in extra innings.
Don Kelly Discusses Ejection vs. Diamondbacks
Kelly addressed his ejection postgame and said that he didn't think Reynolds went around on the first check swing, but conceded that he may have done so for the second check swing.
He also wasn't sure if he said anything, but that since May was looking at the dugout following his second check swing call, that likely lead to the ejection.
"Yeah, I did not think Bryan swung," Kelly said. "I thought he held up on the first one. Second one was a little bit closer, and just thought that Ben was looking in the dugout already. I don't even think I said anything. I might have put my hands up on the second one, but I did not think he went for sure on the first one."
Reynolds ended up coming through with an RBI-double, scoring second baseman Brandon Lowe to tie the game up at 2-2.
Lowe would then hit the game-winning single in the 10th inning, giving the Pirates a huge win.
It wasn't easy for Kelly, who had to watch the game from his office, but he loved seeing his team fight back and the bullpen throwing 4.2 scoreless innings to get them in a better position in the National League Wild Card race.
"Yeah, that's tough," Kelly said. "I want to be out there with the guys, and unfortunately, I couldn't be today. They did an awesome job of battling back, tying it, and then keeping it there. [Gregory Soto] did a great job. [Ron] Marinaccio was great, and Soto and then [Mason Montgomery]
"Just to be able to come back and win that game — especially after [Esmerlyn Valdez] gets hurt. [Jared] Triolo had a big at-bat with the walk. Valdy gets hurt, and I think it just speaks to the way the team has competed all year. It's just next man up. Let's keep on going and find a way."
2026 Ejections for Don Kelly
This marked the fourth ejection of the season for Kelly, but the first one in about two months.
He had two ejections within the span of three games, coming in the 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on May 23 and then the 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 25.
The ejection against the Blue Jays came when Kelly argued about home plate umpire Alan Porter missing an ABS challenge from Pirates catcher Henry Davis, which also saw pitching coach Bill Murphy get ejected prior.
Kelly's ejection vs. the Cubs occurred after he argued that shortstop Konnor Griffin got grazed with a pitch on his helmet, which despite video evidence showing that, third base umpire Dan Bellino ejected him.
His first ejection came in the 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31.
It was another check swing decision, with Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez not getting called out, despite going around, and home plate umpire John Baker tossed Kelly in the eighth inning.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.