Every so often, an on-field microphone catches what actually goes on when a manager argues with an umpire. That happened to Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton on Saturday.
Shelton was ejected from Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds after Reds infielder Elly de la Cruz was ruled to have checked his swing one pitch before driving in a run with a two-out single. After Shelton’s ejection, he took on home plate umpire Nic Lentz.
“I’m not even f—ing talking to you!” Shelton can be heard saying. “I said nothing to you. I did not say that. All I said was ‘let’s f—ing go.’ No, that’s bulls–t. You did not.”
"I WASN'T EVEN F*CKING TALKING TO YOU"
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 18, 2026
No need for any lip reading of this ejection of Twins manager Derek Shelton pic.twitter.com/GUu0wTaogm
Evidently, Lentz accused Shelton of saying something that Shelton was adamant that he did not say. It was too late by this point, however, as the Twins’ manager had already been tossed.
It turns out a lot of confrontations between umpires and managers are just the manager tossing around profanities and calling the umpire ridiculous. They’re not exactly the most eloquent thing, but they can still be pretty entertaining.
The Reds wound up winning 5-4 in comeback fashion, spoiling Shelton’s day even further.
