The Biggest Managerial Meltdowns In MLB History
While disagreements between coaches and officials are a frequent occurrence in any sport, there’s something unique about the way that baseball managers and umpires handle confrontation.
The whole game is placed on hold as a team’s manager strolls onto the field to ask for clarification or express their frustration — and while many disagreements end in a cordial way, others have become all-time classics for the way in which a manager has melted down in front of tens of thousands of fans.
Any Billy Martin Argument Was Must-See TV
While there isn’t one single Billy Martin ejection that stands out above all the rest, there are at least plenty to choose from as the fiery Yankees manager was kicked out of 48 games during his career.
Martin was famously combative not just when calls didn’t go his way, but also when any member of the Yankees went against his wishes. This included dugout confrontations in which he had to be held back from attacking his own players to public feuds with team owner George Steinbrenner.
Earl Weaver Got Caught On A Hot Mic
Orioles manager Earl Weaver was ejected from 96 games during his career, but the most famous one is likely the confrontation he had with umpire Bill Haller at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
While Weaver was his usual angry self, what made the argument so memorable is the fact that Haller was equipped with a wireless microphone. This was likely the first time an umpire-manager argument had been captured in all of its audio vulgarity.
Terry Collins Couldn’t Listen To Reason
Another manager who got caught on a hot mic was Mets bench boss Terry Collins, who was seeing red after star pitcher Noah Syndergaard was ejected from a game for throwing at a batter in 2016.
Collins believed that his pitcher had a right to target opposing players after his players had been thrown at previously. Umpire Tom Hallion attempted to reason with Collins, famously telling him that the umpires’ “[butts] were in the jackpot” — a colorful turn of phrase indicating that they were compelled to throw Syndergaard out, regardless of what was fair.
Lloyd McClendon Took Home A Souvenir
A close call at first base during a midseason Pirates-Brewers game in 2001 went against the Pirates, prompting their manager Lloyd McClendon to fly off the bench and demand answers.
McClendon was ejected almost immediately, but spent several minutes marching around the field and gesticulating at the umpires. The display culminated with McClendon ripping first base out of the ground, carrying it into the dugout, and throwing it down the steps.
Bobby Valentine Tried Going Incognito
In a 1999 interleague game between the Mets and Blue Jays at Shea Stadium, Mets manager Bobby Valentine found himself ejected from the game. Not wanting to watch the rest of the game from the clubhouse, he came up with an ingenious disguise.
Wearing casual Mets gear and standing in a dark corner of the dugout, Valentine wore sunglasses and a fake mustache in an attempt to circumvent the ejection. His ruse didn’t work, and he was ejected once more. Valentine jokingly reprised the stunt years later for a Mets event.
Aaron Boone Was Tossed For Something He Didn’t Say
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has racked up not just an impressive number of ejections during his managerial career, but also quite a few memorable ones. In early 2024, Boone backed down from an argument after an umpire’s warning and returned to the dugout.
Once there, Boone was silent — but a fan sitting just behind him yelled something at the umpire, which prompted an immediate ejection. Boone ran onto the field to insist that he’d said nothing, but the umpire was unwilling to take back the ejection.
Lou Piniella Had A Hot Temper
It’s tough to choose just one iconic Lou Piniella moment, as he was involved in memorable ejections with each team he managed, from the Reds to the Mariners to the Cubs. One moment occurred in 2007 when a stolen base call went against Piniella’s Cubs.
Piniella sprinted onto the field, got into the ump’s face, threw his hat down, and was immediately ejected. Not content to go back to the clubhouse, an irate Piniella took part in an old-school move to disrespect the umpire by kicking dirt on his shoes. He then booted his hat (which he’d thrown on the ground) before making his exit.
Aaron Boone Dramatically Mocked The Ump
Umpire Laz Diaz has a fairly negative reputation among players and managers for his inconsistent strike zone, and this issue came to a head in a Yankees-White Sox game after Diaz rang up one of the Yankees on a called third strike.
Manager Aaron Boone ran out to confront Diaz, taking the extra step of squatting behind the plate in a catcher’s crouch and demonstrating where he thought the pitch was. He then stood up and did an exaggerated, mocking interpretation of Diaz’s strike three call. Needless to say, he was kicked out of the game.
Bobby Cox Threw A Helmet On The Field
Bobby Cox holds the all-time MLB record for managerial ejections with 162, meaning he accumulated a full season’s worth of games in which he was kicked out. In the 1992 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Cox was kicked out for something he probably didn’t mean to do.
In game three at Toronto’s SkyDome, Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders threw out a Braves baserunner. An upset Cox, still in the dugout, grabbed a batting helmet and angrily threw it against the dugout steps. Unfortunately for Cox, his throw misfired and sent the helmet onto the field in the direction of umpire Joe West.
Dave Martinez Stole A Base
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez took exception to a runner’s interference call — always a contentious play — that went against his team in 2021.
Martinez was upset when he came onto the field to confront umpire Pat Hoberg, who promptly ejected him. Then, perhaps taking a page from Lloyd McClendon, Martinez grabbed first base out of the ground. Unlike McClendon, he didn’t take the base with him. Instead, he tossed it to the ground and then kicked it in disgust.
Lloyd McClendon Told Each Ump What He Thought
While some fierce arguments come as a result of one contentious play, others are more of a simmering frustration that eventually boils over. This was the case in a 2015 game in which Lloyd McClendon felt that his Seattle Mariners weren’t getting the benefit of the umpires’ doubt.
After a check swing call went against the M’s, McClendon stormed onto the field to confront the ump who made the call. After getting tossed and saying his piece, he then spiked his hat and went to every other umpire in succession to tell them exactly what he thought of their officiating.
Mike Schildt Literally Asked For It
Padres manager Mike Schildt can occasionally get testy, but is generally regarded as a calm presence — and a 2024 ejection may have been the calmest we’ve seen. After Padres star Manny Machado was kicked out of the game, Schildt went out in the time-honored baseball tradition to defend his player.
Baseball’s unwritten code tends to dictate that the manager needs to be ejected in these situations to show that he has his player’s back — and that’s exactly what happened. Thanks to some lip-reading, it’s clear that Schildt actually praised the umpire before saying, “I have to go” — meaning he had to be ejected. The umpire, of course, complied.
Rocco Baldelli Got Mad For A Sneaky Reason
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli ran afoul of a then-new MLB rule that limited the number of mound visits to a pitcher in a given inning. After the umps determined that the Twins had made one visit too many, the Twins pitcher would be required to leave the game.
Baldelli — normally a calm manager — exploded out of the dugout to protest the call. He got ejected, but made sure to maintain his argument for long enough to give the replacement pitcher enough time to get warmed up.
Charlie Montoyo Was Ejected For Nothing
Charlie Montoyo was not known as an especially combative manager during his time with the Blue Jays, and in his most memorable ejection, he wasn’t really mad at all — just deeply confused.
After an escalating series of beanballs between the Jays and Yankees prompted the umpires to warn both teams, Jays pitcher Yimi Garcia was ejected for throwing at Josh Donaldson. Normally, this results in an automatic managerial ejection, but in this situation, the umpires bizarrely chose to only eject Jays pitching coach Pete Walker. An inning later, Montoyo innocently questioned a pitch from the dugout. The umpires, perhaps realizing their earlier mistake, tossed Montoyo with virtually no provocation.
Brad Ausmus Covered The Plate
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was plenty familiar with the home plate area, as he’d played the catcher position during his lengthy playing career. Later, when Ausmus was managing the Tigers in 2016, he showed his familiarity with the plate following an explosive ejection.
Ausmus took exception to the strike zone of umpire Doug Eddings and came out of the dugout in a rage. He was quickly ejected, but chose not to leave the field immediately. Instead, he removed his sweatshirt to cover home plate in an almost ceremonial fashion. He then tossed his hat and left the field in disgust.
