Josh Reddick gets ejected for throwing his equipment, a breakdown
What Happened
Astros outfielder Josh Reddick got tossed in the sixth inning of a one-run game against Tyler Clippard. With runners on the corners, Reddick chased a nasty Clippard splitter, swung through it, and got tagged out. Convinced he'd fouled the pitch off, he barked at the umpire, then chucked his bat, helmet, and batting gloves toward the dugout. Crew chief Laz Diaz ran him, and Reddick spent the rest of the argument insisting he tipped a ball that missed his bat by a foot.
Why This Matters
Throw your equipment after a third strike and you're basically writing your own ejection notice. Umpires read tossed gear as both a delay and a safety issue, so even if Reddick aimed everything toward the bat boy, Diaz wasn't going to wait around to interpret it. What makes this one stick is the conviction: Reddick genuinely believed he fouled off a pitch that he whiffed on by a wide margin, the kind of self-deception that shows up on slow-motion replay and makes the meltdown worse. Houston was in the thick of a 107-win season and chasing another deep October run, so losing a regular outfielder mid-game in a tight spot wasn't nothing. Laz Diaz, true to form, got hands-on while Reddick claimed he was just walking away. He clearly wasn't.
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Key Moments
Who / What Is Involved
Players: Josh Reddick.
Key Terms Mentioned
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentJosh Reddick got ejected in the sixth
inning of a close game
Houston's up one run Tyler Clippard
trying to stop it there doesn't want to
throw that pitch wants to throw that
pitch opens him up fastball first and
third next pitch fastball again and
Redax like damn it just missed that spot
he does a little hop he shaved his
mustache in between the game that's a
new thing baseball players are doing
start with a mustache look at that
Clippard did the same hop there so look
this pitch Reddick wants to hit this
pitch doesn't he wanted to does a little
hop see that'll hop now there did the
mustache thing you shave his mustache
everyone baseball shaving their mustache
now Clippard wanted this for a strike
his turn to do a little hop little giddy
up like a lot wanted that one they both
did it back-to-back pitches now it's one
to catch your calls for the splitter and
this splitter that Clippard throws is
nasty I'm pretty sure it's a splitter or
maybe I don't know what it is
whatever that pitch is it's nasty and he
goes [ __ ] call no heretic thinks he
hit it retik said he hit this look at
his tumble action and heretics like I
fouled this off blew but he didn't I
don't know why Redick thinks he fouled
this off it's definitely not something
worth fighting he clearly like didn't
come close to making contact but he's
gonna act like the umpire is a big dumb
idiot and missed a call like are you
kidding me - gets tagged out throws the
bat can't believe it throws the helmet
like god that's just terrible bro come
on I hit that don't know what he said
but as long as I throw something else
he's throwing all his equipment now the
UMP swatching him - he throws some more
BAM throws a couple more he's out I'm
probably gave him a like on warning he
also he throws these gloves back towards
the rest of his stuff which is just
really nice for the batboy he got
everything in one place but maybe the
UMP thinks he's throwing it towards him
I don't know then he goes he threw me
out oh no because I definitely felt tip
that ball that was a foot away from my
back how he throw me out when I'm
walking away I'm like yeah you were
throwing stuff you
Laz Diaz he comes in puts his hands all
over him last day as always gets
touchy-feely push his players away I
didn't say anything I was just walking
away I was just walking away he throws
me out while you threw all your stuff at
oh I can't believe it that's basically
what happened here in this ejection but
the crazy thing is that Redick for some
reason thinks he made contact with that
ball