Watch: Weaver, Ray ejected after epic national anthem standoff

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Weaver. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Luke Weaver and Robbie Ray ejected after epic national anthem standoff

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 25, 2022 4:51 PM ET

Before Sunday's Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners contest at Kauffman Stadium, former teammates Robbie Ray and Luke Weaver decided to have a little fun.

After the national anthem, while everyone else prepared for the game's first pitch, Ray and Weaver remained standing on the field.

Locked in an epic standoff, home plate umpire Adrian Johnson implored Ray and Weaver to leave the field, but the pair continued to resist. Eventually, the umpiring crew had enough and ejected the two jokesters, to the delight of both dugouts.

For the record, Ray won the standoff.

Luke Weaver and Seattle's Robbie Ray had themselves a good ol' fashioned standoff before the game.

TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Stream: https://t.co/33d0IBbNG1 #Royals pic.twitter.com/IfxOrIwSPL
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) September 25, 2022

Oddly enough, this isn't the first time this season that MLB umpires have made an ejection before the start of a ballgame.

In late June, umpire Doug Eddings sent Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez to the showers before a matchup with the Chicago White Sox after the two had words during the exchange of lineup cards. Reportedly, Martinez was upset with what he perceived to be poor umpiring by Eddings the previous day. The league later suspended Martinez for five games.

While Weaver and Ray's antics Sunday were extremely light-heartened, it'll be interesting to see what the league's response, if any, will be.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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