Vincent Frank
Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was enjoying a leisurely Spring Training game in Florida Monday afternoon when umpire Randy Rosenberg decided to get in the way of that.
During a meaningless exhibition matchup days before Opening Day, Rosenberg opted to put himself in the headlines.
Phillies pitcher Craig Kimbrel was called for a pitch clock violation (that’s an actual thing). As Rosenberg gave the ball back to J.T. Realmuto, the catcher simply dropped it. Apparently, this was enough for him to get ejected. Serious stuff.
First off, Realmuto was rightfully confused about the ejection. He legitimately accidentally dropped the ball as it was being handed to him by Rosenberg. Secondly, we’re a bit surprised that Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn’t find a way to get run, too.
Umpires really need to check their egos before games. This is absolutely getting out of control. Realmuto did absolutely nothing wrong.
Sure, this is a meaningless Spring Training Game. But if something like this were to happen during the regular season or playoffs, it would be a big deal.
- J.T. Realmuto stats (2022): .276 average, 22 HR, 84 RBI, .820 OPS
Realmuto and his Phillies open up the regular season Thursday on the road against the Texas Rangers. We’re sure the catcher hopes Randy Rosenberg isn’t on hand.
