When people pay money to go to a Major League Baseball game they are not doing so to watch the umpires. Sometimes the league's umpires need reminded of that, that is especially true for Derek Thomas, the home plate umpire of Sunday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs (which the Tigers won, 4-0).
Thomas ejected both Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner and manager Craig Counsell in the top of the fifth inning following a called third strike against Hoerner.
After the game Hoerner explained that after the called third strike (which was off the plate), he turned to Thomas and said "you are having a really bad day."
The broadcast microphones picked up the exchange, and Hoerner wasn't lying about what he said.
Here is the audio from Nico Hoerner’s ejection during today’s game. https://t.co/XnAiRBhxBm pic.twitter.com/ic3l4tB8hk
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 8, 2025
Hoerner was immediately ejected, which was followed quickly by Counsell when he tried to defend his player.
If you want to be a stickler for the rules, Thomas was well within his right to eject Hoerner for arguing balls and strikes. But an ejection in this instance seems incredibly soft, and like an umpire trying to make the game about him and flexing his power to everybody.
Hoerner didn't scream, he didn't make a scene, he didn't make any gestures and he didn't use profanity. If Thomas had not immediately reacted by ejecting Hoerner there is very likely a good chance nobody in the stadium or watching on TV would have even known anything was said.
Umpiring is hard, nobody disputes that. The addition of technology like the K-Zone and the detailed analysis of every strike call puts them under an even stronger microscope.
But criticism comes with the territory of being in the big leagues. Players have to face it, coaches have to face it and umpires have to face it. The latter group is not doing itself any favors with fans when they react that aggressively to even the mildest criticism from a player or coach. People are there to watch the players, not the umpires.
Unless somebody makes a scene to show them up, says something obscene or doesn't stop when warned there should be a little more wiggle room than what Thomas showed the Cubs on Sunday. Especially when the call was wrong in the first place.
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