MLB Ejections 163-4 - Hunter Wendelstedt (5-6; CWS x2)

[Lindsay]

HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore and LF Andrew Benintendi (strike two and three calls; QOCN) in the top of the 6th inning of the #WhiteSox-#Orioles game. With one out and none on, White Sox batter Andrew Benintendi took a 1-1 sweeper and 1-2 sinker from Orioles pitcher Cade Povich for called second and third strikes. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and above the midpoint (px 0.21, pz 3.57 [sz_top 3.04 / RAD 3.16 / MOE 3.24]) and the 1-2 pitch was located off the outer edge of home plate and waist-high (px -1.02, pz 2.51), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Orioles were leading, 9-0. The Orioles ultimately won the contest, 9-0.

These are Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s 5th and 6th ejections of 2024.

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.

The 1-1 pitch was located 3.96 vertical and the 1-2 pitch was 1.27 horizontal inches from QOCY.

These are the 163rd and 164th ejection reports of the 2024 MLB regular season.

This is the 82nd manager ejection of 2024.

This is the 56th player ejection of 2024. Ejection Tally: 82 Managers, 26 Coaches, 56 Players.

This is Chicago's 9/10th ejection of 2024, 1st in the AL Central (CWS 10; CLE 3; KC, MIN 2; DET 1).

This is Grady Sizemore's first career MLB ejection.

This is Andrew Benintendi's 1st ejection since May 8, 2023 (Manny Gonzalez; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Hunter Wendelstedt's 5/6th ejection of 2024, 1st since Aug 7 (Dave Roberts; QOC = Y [Obstruction]).

Wrap: Chicago White Sox vs Baltimore Orioles, 9/3/24 | Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Sizemore, Benintendi ejected over two Wendelstedt strike calls in same AB

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[Jimurray]

Can somebody explain Wendelstedt's positioning on the last strike. 2:00 onward in the Jomboy Youtube. I think I would be more in the wide open slot.

 

[grayhawk]

32 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

Can somebody explain Wendelstedt's positioning on the last strike. 2:00 onward in the Jomboy Youtube. I think I would be more in the wide open slot.

Seems like MLB guys move way more with F2 than we amateurs do (or should). It sure as hell didn't help him on that pitch.

I would like to know what is going on with Hunter's game management this season. Is he creating videos for his school on what not to do?

[SeeingEyeDog]

1 hour ago, Jimurray said:

Can somebody explain Wendelstedt's positioning on the last strike. 2:00 onward in the Jomboy Youtube. I think I would be more in the wide open slot.

I have talked with some of my local pro guys about this...not necessarily THIS SPECIFIC situation but, this business of MLB plate umpires working over the middle of the plate instead of strictly the slot. The answer I have gotten is this and I am paraphrasing...

In this era, with PitchTrak being used to scrutinize and analyze every umpire's call on every pitch, those guys need to do do everything they can to get every pitch called correctly. (We know they sometimes don't. But, that is the goal.)

There is no question that from a pitch-calling point of view, working directly over the middle of the plate gives them the absolute best view of ANY and EVERY pitch. However...there is clearly a risk in that. But, MLB umpires are working behind the best catchers in the game...and they have excellent health insurance that many amateur umpires do not have. (And we know those guys end up wearing pitches and foul balls, too...)

We amateurs are taught the slot and we work the slot because that is the best position balancing accuracy AND SAFETY.

~Dawg

[Velho]

3 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

In this era, with PitchTrak being used to scrutinize and analyze every umpire's call on every pitch, those guys need to do do everything they can to get every pitch called correctly.

Do they get an allowance for the F-U strike? 🤣

[dumbdumb]

in the old days catchers mainly (never say always-and no where near moving around as much) set up right down the middle of the plate. they just moved the glove over their knee for in and out. the plate umpires with the balloon set up straight over the catcher and in the kill zone all game. same view of the plate as the catcher at least for the corners and the belt pitch. the knee pitch was more challenging due to being higher over the catcher. you could probably set your feet right behind the catchers shoes and rarely take a shoe hit.

so, if the umpires are working more of a outside protector position but with an inside protector, they are opening themselves up to more kill shots and the concussion odds and ramifications of that decision, in exchange for better results on their plate scores. just imagine working the balloon directly over the kill zone every plate job starting in the minors and all the way through a major league career, back in the day. maybe hunters father worked more over towards the middle like that too. have to get hold of old footage.

[The Man in Blue]

6 hours ago, Velho said:

Do they get an allowance for the F-U strike? 🤣

Given the lackadaisical call on it, that was totally what I thought.  The catcher didn't steal the call, Hunter was going to punch him out no matter what.

 

As for the broadcasters . . . when you are down 9-0 and you have lost that many games . . . even the umpires are asking why they are wasting their time.  No, we don't like working that $#!+ either.

OK, winding up the rant . . . didn't intend to do this, but . . .

 

WHY the ---- are WE expected to bail your @$$ out just because you have a $#!++y team?  We didn't bring you here.  We didn't make you this bad.  We didn't put this team on your schedule.  This is as brutal on us as it is on your players.

Middle school game today . . . the HTHC (who is a notorious @$$#ole but productive coach) wants to start right away because I told his FIRST BATTER (who popped out) that he had to go to the dugout, he couldn't hang out in the 3rd base coach's box and talk to his coach while we play.  (This guy is that coach that just tries to push your buttons until you stand up to him.)  Shut him down pretty quick.

Fast forward, 14-0 in the 3rd inning (almost done under the mercy rule) and the VTHC who is getting his @$$ handed to him wants to bark about balls and strikes.  

I think I am not taking on middle school games next year.  Fall has always been a bad time of year for me (busy!) and those games are the first thing I can take off my plate to make my life easier.  Add the utterly ignorant behavior into the mix and . . . here I am.  Here I go.

Even at $90/game for a game that ends up lasting 55 minutes, it is not worth it to me.  (My partner drove longer than the game lasted.)

[grayhawk]

1 hour ago, The Man in Blue said:

Given the lackadaisical call on it

That's actually his normal strike 3 call.

[Thunderheads]

19 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

I have talked with some of my local pro guys about this...not necessarily THIS SPECIFIC situation but, this business of MLB plate umpires working over the middle of the plate instead of strictly the slot. The answer I have gotten is this and I am paraphrasing...

In this era, with PitchTrak being used to scrutinize and analyze every umpire's call on every pitch, those guys need to do do everything they can to get every pitch called correctly. (We know they sometimes don't. But, that is the goal.)

There is no question that from a pitch-calling point of view, working directly over the middle of the plate gives them the absolute best view of ANY and EVERY pitch. However...there is clearly a risk in that. But, MLB umpires are working behind the best catchers in the game...and they have excellent health insurance that many amateur umpires do not have. (And we know those guys end up wearing pitches and foul balls, too...)

We amateurs are taught the slot and we work the slot because that is the best position balancing accuracy AND SAFETY.

~Dawg

Catchers have NOTHING to do w/ the slot or not.  I'd like to know who said this (paraphrased or not) ...this is hard for me to buy (no offense @SeeingEyeDog)

[beerguy55]

On 9/5/2024 at 9:42 AM, grayhawk said:

Seems like MLB guys move way more with F2 than we amateurs do (or should). It sure as hell didn't help him on that pitch.

I would like to know what is going on with Hunter's game management this season. Is he creating videos for his school on what not to do?

It's time for him to go...his quality is waning, and he's just becoming a cranky old man on a power trip.

[The Man in Blue]

22 hours ago, grayhawk said:

That's actually his normal strike 3 call.

 

oh.

[dumbdumb]

18 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

It's time for him to go...his quality is waning, and he's just becoming a cranky old man on a power trip.

are we making sure we are doing rank and yank for the reasons mentioned in the sentence above, at all levels of professional umpiring, irregardless of professional umpires of amateur players or professional umpires of professional players. if not ,why not. i like to see when all levels of umpiring are having the same reasoning enforced.

how come they say there are a dearth of professional umpires for the amateur player level, or is that a bunch of hogwash. so why not make it time for them to go and get new ones for quality waning, and cranky old man on a power trip.

and if new ones are good, don't make them play a waiting game to get playoff assignments, the ole you got to wait your turn like i did (forgetting that lucky uncle Huey/lewey/dewey got that umpire into umpiring to start with, and jumpstarted their quick rise of varsity, right off the get go and right into the playoffs either that same year or the next, without the wait your turn like i did syndrome.

and, let's see if the system for playoff assignments keeps all those having a rough year from getting an assignment, like they say it does, for those in that rough year situation.

 

[The Man in Blue]

4 hours ago, dumbdumb said:

how come they say there are a dearth of professional umpires for the amateur player level, or is that a bunch of hogwash. so why not make it time for them to go and get new ones for quality waning, and cranky old man on a power trip.

 

But . . . but . . . games MUST be played, even if we have to keep hiring people who are quickly rising up the ranks to incompetent corpse level.  (Then we can itch and complain about how bad they are and abuse them and wonder why people keep hiring them.)

If we can't get a 4-person professional crew, how else can we determine the 7u International Galactic World Champions (North Southern Division 6, East Wacker Youth Club of Western Dubuque)?  It is the most elite 4-team league in the quiet little suburb.  It attracts as many as 60 kids (in good years) from as far as 12 blocks away.  But man, those plastic rings they win . . . you should see the look on their faces.  WHY ARE TRYING TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM?!?!?!?!