
Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, however, things were not so lovely this weekend between Philadephia Phillies manager Rob Thompson and umpire Mike Estabrook. On Father’s Day, the Philadelphia Phillies faced the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore. This led to a heated screaming match between the Phillies manager and umpire, resulting in manager Thompson being ejected from the game.
The Philadelphia Phillies, ranked number 1 in the NL East, played in Baltimore this past Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, ranked number 2 in the AL East. Towards the top of the sixth inning in the game, things weren’t looking too good for the Phillies, as the Orioles were up 8-2 in their home field of the Camden Yards. However, things went from bad to worse when umpire Mike Estabrook conversed with his fellow umpires before reversing a call that was originally ruled as a hit-by-pitch from the Phillies’ catcher Garrett Stubbs. This call infuriated Phillies manager Rob Thompson, as Thompson was seen already enraged before Stubbs was brought back to the home plate.
Manager Thompson quickly emerged from behind the dugout to approach Estabrook, which is where things quickly become heated. Thompson had already appeared angry when face to face with Estabrook at home plate, but became furious with the umpire once Estabrook made a pointing motion that nearly poked Thompson in the chest. Following this, the two sports authorities could be seen loudly barking back and forth to one another, each man’s face inches from the other’s.
Not long after the screaming match ensued, it was apparent that umpire Estabrook wasn’t taking any more smack from Thompson, as the umpire turned his back and fast-tossed Thompson from the game, which angered Thompson even more. Managers and coaches letting off their steam to a referee or umpire is nothing new in the sports world, however seeing an umpire give the smack-talk right back is a bit surprising.