Manager Oliver Marmol was ejected from his St. Louis Cardinals’ 6-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader after getting upset about a bad strike call.
Tommy Edman was batting with bases loaded, two outs and a full count in the top of the seventh inning. The 3-2 pitch from Scott Effross was a few inches outside, but home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman called it a strike.
Instead of the game being 5-2 with Nolan Gorman up and the bases still loaded, the strike three call ended the inning.
Edman couldn’t believe the call, and neither could Marmol. Marmol came out instantly to protest. He ended up being ejected for the first time in his managerial career.
The pitch was very clearly outside, so Marmol’s frustration was understandable. And he did not hide how upset he was.
“I think I expressed everything I needed to express to him directly,” Marmol said after the game. “I was pretty clear. The pitch on Edman was the tipping point. … I expressed my thoughts on the field, and we’ll move on.”
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