Aaron Judge Is Not the First Player to Be Controversially Ejected By Umpire Ryan Blakney; Exploring MLB Umpire’s Previous Missed Calls

The recent ejection of Aaron Judge by umpire Ryan Blakney was quite shocking in the world of Baseball. Judge, known for his composure, was tossed for the first time in his career after arguing a called third strike in the New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game on Saturday. However, this wasn’t Blakney’s first time being embroiled in controversy on the field. Here’s a closer look at the plate umpire’s history with ejections.

Back in 2022, Blakney was at the center of another kind of ejection during a game between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. He called the Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford out on a checked swing, a doubtful call at best. Crawford argued the call. However, Blakney did not want to have the conversation any further. With that, he tossed him from the game. This incident was a reminder that “nobody is perfect” as per USA Today, behind the plate. 

While the missed call for Crawford was frustrating, the swift ejection added a layer of unexpected humor to the situation. The case with Captain All Rise too was that of a quick ejection, but here there was no hilarious angle to it. 

Teammate Anthony Rizzo also spoke about Judge who “.. has a very good reputation. It’s not like he was showing him up. He was obviously disappointed in the call, but I don’t think he was showing up the umpire. I thought it was very quick.” This situation raises questions about Blakney’s approach to arguments with players. While ejections are meant to maintain decorum in the game, some umpires are known for having a quicker trigger than others.

Was Judge’s ejection just a frustrated player and a strict umpire exchange? Or is there a pattern to Blakney being more quick with his ejections?

Was Aaron Judge’s ejection justified?

While there isn’t much data available on the number of ejections issued by individual umpires, looking at the past news like that of Crawford’s might be an evidence. On one hand, two ejections in a two-year span may not seem like a big number. On the other, the fact that both involved questionable calls and frustrated reactions from the players, managers and fans suggests a potential pattern.

It is given that being an umpire is a demanding job. And Judge, being the seasoned player that he is, is aware of it. He even shared in his post game interview, “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody gets calls wrong. I get a lot of calls wrong in the box, when I’m up there. So I respect what they do. It’s a tough position in sports, to be making balls and strikes, to be making calls like that, in the heat of the moment.” 

The umpires only have a split second to make critical calls that can impact the outcome of the game. But beyond balls and strikes, ump also has to manage the emotions of players and coaches. This only makes things more difficult for the umpires. That said, the fire on this situation is far from doused. Only time will tell how the season proceeds with umpires being so quick with big decisions like ejections.