Brett Gardner says umpire Chris Segal lied to him after bizarre ejection
New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner was left quite bitter over a strange ejection during Friday night’s game.
Gardner was ejected during the fourth inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays despite being seated quietly on the bench at the moment of ejection. This came despite manager Aaron Boone and outfielder Cameron Maybin yelling at home plate umpire Chris Segal over a strike call. Boone said that Segal had told him he “just knew” Gardner was yelling at him, while Gardner accused Segal of lying.
“I didn’t even open my mouth, which is unusual for me,” Gardner said, via Coley Harvey of ESPN. “He just wanted to assume, or wanted to take a guess, and he was wrong. And then he lied to me about it — which is a huge problem — and that’s what made me a little upset.”
Gardner’s ejection did not make a lot of sense. Whether it was a case of mistaken identity or something else, there didn’t appear to be a lot of reason to toss him from the game. It’s instances like this that make players frustrated, and it’s why they demand increased accountability and transparency when it comes to umpires.
