Ump Show: Nationals outfielder gets tossed after barely opening his mouth

Washington Nationals v Detroit Tigers
Washington Nationals v Detroit Tigers / Nic Antaya/GettyImages
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We have seen over the years in MLB games what it will take for a player to get ejected. Usually, it takes "the magic word" (a swear word) from a player directed towards an umpire to get them tossed from the game. But what if, a player got ejected for not saying a single word?

That's what happened during Thursday's game between the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers. In the top of the sixth inning, Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas was called out on strikes on a pitch thrown by Casey Mize. The pitch landed on the top right of the strike zone.

Thomas took exception to the call by home plate umpire Emil Jimenez. The Nationals outfielder stared at Jimenez. Before Thomas could even think about what he was going to say, Jimenez ejected him from the game.

Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas gets ejected for glancing at home plate umpire after strike call

Thomas said "that's not" before realizing he was tossed from the game. From there, he asked Jimenez, "are you s*****g me?"

MASN's Kevin Frandsen was livid about the decision by Jimenez to throw Thomas out of the game in the sixth inning.

"We literally have video and voice audio. He never said anything that, that's just bad. That makes me even more mad," said Frandsen.

Thomas went 1-for-3 at the plate while striking out once, which was what led to his ejection. Jesse Winker shifted over from left to right field to fill in for Thomas, while manager Davey Martinez brought in Nick Senzel off the bench.

The Nationals were tied 1-1 at the time of Thomas' ejection. The Tigers went on to win the game 7-2.

There are many examples of "The Ump Show" that will get fans' blood boiling. For Nationals fans, this ejection of Thomas for glancing at Jimenez after striking out will undoubtedly be ranked near the top of the worst ejections of the season when all is said and done.

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