Justin Verlander gets ejected in the middle of the inning, a breakdown
What Happened
During an August 2019 start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston ace Justin Verlander got tossed in the middle of an inning while sitting on a comfortable lead. He'd argued a borderline strike-three call that home plate umpire Pat Hoberg ruled a ball, the kind of pitch that looked like it caught the edge but the angle made it hard to confirm. The very next pitch, the 3-2, got hit for a double. Verlander barked from the mound, Hoberg ran him, and a frustrated Verlander kept jawing about how he wasn't even looking at the ump when he supposedly crossed the line.
Why This Matters
Pitchers almost never get ejected mid-inning, and they basically never get tossed from a game they're winning by nine. That's what makes this one stick. Umpires can run a player or pitcher for arguing balls and strikes, and the unwritten rule is you don't show up the man behind the plate. Verlander's beef was that he didn't think he'd done anything worth an ejection, hence the 'I wasn't even looking at you' line he kept repeating. By 2019 Verlander was 36 and in the middle of a Cy Young season for an Astros team that would reach the World Series. Getting heated over strike zone calls in a blowout shows how little his competitive edge dulled even with a big lead, and it's a rare snapshot of a future Hall of Famer losing his cool.
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Key Moments
Who / What Is Involved
Players: Justin Verlander. Teams: Blue Jays.
Key Terms Mentioned
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentJustin Verlander pretty good pitcher for
the houston astros facing the Rays today
a nice battle between teams that are
gonna be in the playoffs maybe not a
nice battle nine nothing this one's
brought to you by Roosevelt shirts RS
VLTs - oh and he's gonna come back gets
that nice pitch spots as fast I love
watching Verlander pitch spots his
off-speed too - and now he's gonna
finish him off fastball he thinks he got
it um says no let's take a look this
angle is kind of hard cuz the depth
perceptions off but I don't know it
looks like it rode the line no idea but
he wanted it doesn't get it
UMP doesn't give it to him let's see how
this plays out the very next pitch the
3-2 pitch is hit for a double
throws him out of the game I'm not sure
what Verlander said at the end but that
was enough to throw him out
Verlander says why you can't talk to me
like that I wasn't even looking at you
it's true he kind of turned and looked
but still come on blue Verlander is
gonna collect himself you know it's just
a 9 nothing lead i I pitched five
innings anyway I can get out of here
it's not that bad no you know what [ __ ]
it is that's horseshit come on Justin
collect yourself it's not nothing game
you did it now bullpen can do the rest
just collect yourself it's okay come on
you get some rest it's gonna be nice
anyway
no can't get over it I wasn't even
looking at you Pat let's go I wasn't
even looking at you um now won't look at
him well just kind of pissing him off
like look at me I want you to look at me
now like I wasn't looking at you [ __ ]
crow up blue so what was brought you by
Roosevelt shirts they're fun unlike this
umpire and Verlander on game day they're
fun shirts you can wear them at parties
people go like yo where'd you get that
shirt you say Roosevelt use discount
code john-boy get 20% off RSV LTS calm
/john boy a lot of fun maybe they'll put
angry Verlander face on a shirt that'd
be cool