Umpire Isabella Robb's Ejection of Tarpons Manager Rachel Balkovec is 1st All-Woman MiLB Ejection

[Lindsay]

Minor League umpire Isabella Robb's ejection of Tampa Tarpons (Single-A Yankees) manager Rachel Balkovec is the first all-woman ejection in affiliated baseball and also features a key play concerning a pulled foot at first base, as well as crew consultation to help with this call. Let's review.

With a runner on first, Tarpons batter Anthony Hall hit a ground ball to Tortugas second baseman Johnny Ascanio, who threw to shortstop Victor Acosta to force out baserunner R1 Brenny Escanio at second, whose throw to pitcher Zach Maxwell covering first base arrived just as batter-runner Hall's foot came down at first base. Thus, the two elements of this play are the timing of safe/out, and also the potential pulled foot by the pitcher covering first base.

In a crew of two, although the first base umpire often can take a pulled foot on their own, the home plate umpire just so happens to be in an ideal position to provide information about a potential pulled foot by the fielder on a close play at first base. This is because the plate umpire is generally on the foul line with a perfect view of the side of the base, due to the plate umpire's positioning for officiating a potential runner's lane interference infraction on the batter-runner's part.

Here, 1B Umpire Robb initially calls the Tarpons batter-runner out at first base. Upon request from at-bat manager Balkovec, she confers with her partner at home plate, and the crew sticks with the out call after the help. Balkovec dissents and is ultimately ejected for arguing the crew's post-consultation ruling that the runner was out at first base.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Ump Isabella Robb's MiLB ejection of manager Balkovec involved pulled foot, umpire help

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