Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell argues with an umpire. Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Cubs' Craig Counsell earns most tame ejection of MLB season

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 5:02 PM ET

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected early in his team's game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, and home plate umpire David Rackley didn't put up with much before giving him the hook.

Chicago had outfielder Ian Happ at the plate with a runner on first and one out in the top of the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Right fielder Kyle Tucker attempted to steal second on a 3-2 pitch in a tie game, but he was thrown out at second.

The pitch was also called a strike, which ended the inning. Counsell felt that the ball had missed outside and came out of the dugout to state his case to Rackley, who was in no mood to hear it.

Counsell was quickly dismissed from the game.

Quick hook today for Craig Counsell pic.twitter.com/55Pr2GiPei
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 28, 2025

The Cubs lost their first two games of the series against San Francisco and scored a combined five runs in those contests, so Counsell may have been trying to light a fire under his team. Though he seemed a bit surprised when Rackley ejected him.

Chicago entered Thursday with a record of 76-57. Counsell's team was 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central but atop the NL wild-card standings.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

More must-reads: