Bob Melvin didn’t wait for the first pitch on Sunday to give the umpires a dressing down.
For his efforts, he was expelled.
The San Francisco Giants manager personally delivered his team’s lineup card to crew chief Chris Conroy’s umpiring crew before Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies. It was not a cordial meeting.
The content of the exchange was not clear, but the message was clear: Melvin was upset. When the meeting ended, the referees ejected Melvin from the game.
Melvin’s day ended before the first pitch.
Why was Melvin upset?
Sunday’s game was the third of a three-game series between the Giants and Rockies. The Giants lost the first two. The San Jose Mercury NewsMelvin’s conflict with Conroy’s team simmered throughout the series.
A “phantom hit” (Melvin’s words, not ours) on Rockies catcher Elias Diaz in Friday’s 7-3 win was certainly a point of contention for Melvin. Umpires allowed Diaz to take first base in that game when it wasn’t clear he had been hit by a pitch from Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez.
Diaz himself appeared to claim the pitch hit his bat and not his body, but the umpiring crew awarded him first base. after an inconclusive retest Diaz did not overturn the decision on the field. Diaz scored on Brenton Doyle’s two-run homer that sparked a comeback for the Rockies from a 3-0 deficit.
“I haven’t seen an umpire convince a player to go to first base after a pitch,” Melvin said after Friday’s game.
Melvin has also complained about the strike zone throughout the series. Losses on Friday and Saturday left the Giants with a 47-52 record, adding to an already disappointing season. But there was relief for San Francisco after Melvin was ejected before the game.
Jorge Soler opened the game with a 478-foot home run over the center field wall at Coors Field.
Hayden Birdsong then pitched six innings of two-run ball as the Giants secured a 3-2 victory to save the series and secure their first win since the All-Star break.
Melvin presumably watched with pleasure from the clubhouse.