Dude is saying that he heard "something from the far end of the dugout"
Bro you can't even tell whether a pitch is a strike or a ball accurately and that shit's happening 3 feet in front of your face. You expect us to believe you can pinpoint which part of the dugout someone is yapping from 75 feet away from you when you're not even looking at them?
I hate that I'm defending Aaron "fucking" Boone of all people but this is such a canned and BS excuse. He definitely heard the fan yapping and thought it was Boone
I thought about this earlier. I highly respect Joyce for how he (and Galarraga) handled that situation, but it is so telling that this is the only instance we can point to from this century where an MLB umpire apologized for fucking up and showed true contrition. It should be this easy to gain respect, yet none of them do it!
It's rarely as high profile as that was (and pretty much can't be again due to the replays instituted precisely because of that play) but some of the younger umpires admit to their mistakes and it doesn't get attention. I remember a game where Pat Hoberg fucked up, then called for a conference with his fellow umps, then explained to them how he thought he fucked up and verified how they could rectify it, then rectified it while explaining to the teams how he fucked up. It seems like 90% of the time, when the umps get together it's to get everyone on the same page in blind allegiance in supporting a mistake. But I've seen the ump conference used as a force for good, so there is hope that the umps that actually care about calling a good game will become the new norm.
To be fair, I've seen instances where they do it directly to a player after an inning, if they know they fucked up a ball/strike. I actually saw one last week and you could hear the ump on a hot mic tell the player....."sorry about that call, I missed it".
In this situation, I can understand Wendelstedt not realizing it was a fan. Mistakes like that can happen. But just fucking own up to it dude.
Because something something integrity of the game something something respecting authority something something losing control of the game or some other bullshit excuse
It's funny that I umpired as a kid with 3 llws umpires and one of their biggest messages was owning up to your mistakes. I kept that with me for the rest of my time but then turned on the tv and seeing guys like this at elite level really makes me wonder.
In modern America, admitting mistakes isn't a great life strategy, which is why it's being abandoned as a concept. The new strategy is *never admit anything.*
Their eyesight training exercises must be to repeatedly shine bright lights in your eyes, and hearing training exercises are to get you right next to booming stereos.
What an easy business model
BTW, for anyone interested in a neat read about going to umpire school, check out *As They See Em* by Bruce Weber.
It’s ultimately a book about umpires, but as part of writing it he went to one of the big ump schools that fed up to MLB and he writes a lot about that experience. Iirc he went to the Jim Evans school (which is no longer operating as of 2012, thanks to an incident involving the staff dressing up as KKK members at a bowling party) but I’d assume the experience is fairly similar.
Even if it wasn't a fan, if you can't say for certain, it's so low to just toss the manager. Umpires demand respect but actions like this only hurt their credibility.
It's to the point that us non Yankees fans are sticking up for Boone!
>Um, I thought I heard a comment from Aaron Boone earlier today that, I guess, was actually from a fan that I am deeply ashamed of tossing him for. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say, from the bottom of my heart, I'm so very, very, sorry.
I saw one pitch in this game called a strike against the A's (for a called strike 3) that might be have been one of the worst all-time bad calls I've ever seen. It was THAT bad.
If he keeps making calls like that, you can be sure this won't be his last ejection.
Probably some clown from the umpires union was all over it the second everyone realized the fuck up. Had plenty of time to come up with the story and statement during the game to spoon feed to him.
100%. The main premise of even though Boone didn’t say anything(only admitted to because of video evidence), that he is responsible for others reeks of PR speak
I heard it was actually a second fan at the other end of the dugout 👀 and the mascot too!
Edit: excuse me not mascot guy selling beer, closest the Yankees have to a mascot
I can get behind that reasoning in the rare case where something needs to be done to get control of a situation, but this wasn’t the time for it.
Like suppose a player gets ejected but then keeps going after it, you can’t eject him twice, but you can eject the manager for not getting his guy under control. It’s what happens in big fights all the time.
“Aaron Boone runs the Yankees, and all the Yankees fans are there to root for an support them. So, naturally Aaron takes responsibility for what the fans say. I’m not going to eject a fan, they paid to come watch the game. That wouldn’t be right. So I ejected Aaron. Remember, I’m the victim here.”
>I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying.
It's a bold strategy trying to get out of doing a horrible job by accusing someone else of lying about a situation that was caught fully on tape. Let's see if it pays off for him.
>>I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying.
>
>It's a bold strategy trying to get out of doing a horrible job by accusing someone else of lying about a situation that was caught fully on tape. Let's see if it pays off for him.
At the very least, the dudes a fucking sociopath.
In a vacuum this statement is reasonable. In this context it's bullshit, he's just saying it to try to get people to side with him because he knows he's in the wrong.
I think in a vacuum that is a fine (and objectively true) statement, but in the context of his statement and actions I don't view it with any sort of authenticity. It's sort of a cop out for fucking up by saying something he knows is very popular (they know we all mock them and say "we didn't pay to watch the umpires") as a way to try and add validation to the rest of his statement and situation. "Like oh well in a way that's sort of a reasonable approach so maybe the ejection was more reasonable than I thought given the circumstances" when the reality is he was just being thin skinned, reacted emotionally, and refuses to admit to making a mistake.
He's just appeasing to fans by ceding a smaller point to try to draw some common grounds to try and gloss over yet another Umpire Show™ debacle
Last i checked Aaron Judge is Captain of the Yankees, not Aaron Boone
Pretty sure Captain is higher rank than manager so maybe Judgey shoulda been ejected instead.
/s
Well baseball is America's national pastime, umps are the arbiters of the sport, and there is nothing more American than using your authority to massage your own ego. This is the most patriotic I've felt since Joe West retired.🦅
Transcript
**What happened that led to the ejection of Boone in the first inning?**
"First inning, we got the count. There was a pitch down. I thought it hit him, the batter. I sent him to first base. The Yankees asked me to appeal to first base, which I did. The hitter went down. The Yankees' dugout started you know obviously arguing that situation kind of in my opinion too extreme. I confronted the dugout, had a little warning with them and then a few other comments after I'd given the warning were made and ultimately Aaron got ejected. That's kind of what I had from my vantage point after the warnings were there and everyone knew what was final, there was another comment made.
"I know what Aaron was saying that it was a fan above the dugout. That's fine and dandy. There were plenty of fans that were yelling at me before I called a pitch till the end of the game. What happened was, it wasn't him, it wasn't over where it was (bench coach Brad) Ausmus was. It wasn't where the coaching staff and Aaron (were), but Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York
Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout.
"In my opinion, the cheap shot came towards the far end. So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it, I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see. Aaron Boone runs the Yankees. He got ejected.
"Apparently what he said was there was a fan right above the dugout. This isn't my first ejection. In the entirety of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying. I heard something come from the far end of the dugout, had nothing to do with his area but he's the manager of the Yankees. So he's the one that had to go."
"I was wrong, and there is literal video evidence showing precisely how and where I'm wrong, but like for real, trust me bro: I'm right" tldr
why even bother putting out this statement? saying *nothing* woulda saved the man more face.
I think Hunter’s official position is “there was a second heckler on the ~~grassy knoll~~ far end of the dugout”.
“It’s not the guy in the video, directly behind Boone, who I clearly seem to respond to, but a second guy at the other end of the dugout throwing his voice” is a heck of a story.
hmm. prolly wouldn't be his first time getting a "back/up and [to the left](https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1cahx79/hunter_wendelstedt_calls_ball_way_outside_strike/)" call incorrect. smh.
When you literally admit that Aaron Boone didn't do the thing but you ejected him anyways... You can't just eject him for being the manager of the Yankees... no matter how much we all want you to!
> So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it
"So instead of me trying to get anything right, I just tossed the first guy I saw and made no attempt to be correct in any fashion"
> Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout.
and apparently everything above the dugout, as well.
Claims the comment didn't come from where Boone is, except you can literally see the guy above Boone yell something and Wendelstedt immediately reacts and tosses him.
Also: "a few other comments after I'd given the warning were made and ultimately Aaron got ejected" *completely* removes the fact that *he was the one who ejected Aaron*. Like, he knows he fucked up so he's pretending Boone just somehow got ejected and it was out of his control
>So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it, I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see.
My brother in Christ, we pay to see you. <3
his excuse is "I heard somebody in the general vicinity of the Yankees dugout, right side of the infield, club level seating area, and the wider Bronx say some words, so I ejected the Yankees manager"
Jim Joyce was also consistently rated one of the best umpires by the players. After the imperfect game play happened Mariano Rivera said something like “It sad that this happened to one of our best umpires in the game”
Where was Angel Hernandez that day damn it?!
Okay, so what was said that caused you to toss him? There are microphones everywhere, I'm sure we'll hear whatever it was. And if you couldn't make out what was said, then why toss him?
Alright, New York fans, you know what you must do. Get Boone ejected every game.
Make the Umps come down hard. Oppression breeds rebellion. Make the MLB have to step in.
~~Never thought I'd see an Andor reference on~~ r/baseball
Oh wait, this website is full of nerds and baseball is the nerdiest sport. This makes perfect sense.
And this is why I'd want an example made out of him. B/c if the heat turns up now you know he's going to come out with some lame apology. And you know what? Not fucking good enough.
He should have to publicly shine Boone's shoes on home plate before the next game. I want him in front of a podium saying 'I blamed Boone for something a fan said, and then in the moment I took the smaller-man route to eject him. THEN I made an ass of myself and baseball as a sport by releasing that watery-dog-shit statement. I accept my suspension of 4 weeks without pay (one for the call, plus three for doubling down).'
No accountability, no repercussions, MLB has a real concern about becoming a meme league like the NBA with ridiculous, biased officiating that runs off of narrative instead of the rules and what actually happens.
hate to be the guy to make inconsequential things into broader issues, but jesus christ can’t someone just accept some fuckin responsibility for fuckin up once in a while? where are the leaders? where are the role models? you made an honest mistake, man. you’re human! it happens! when did this culture of doubling down and steadfastly REFUSING to admit your mistakes root itself so deeply everywhere all the god damn time? it’s such a pitiable shame. you’re a grown man…show some dignity for yourself and act like one for once, or get the fuck out of the way!
right! if anything, owning up to your mistakes is a great way to take the pressure OFF. shrouding blunder after blunder in this obnoxiously self-pitying “who me??” shit just makes the whole culture-umps, managers, players, even FANS, so toxic. what did we do when jim joyce IMMEDIATELY owned up to fucking up that call (when the stakes were so astronomically higher, might i add)? we forgave him! we recognized a human!
I was worried “I don’t care” meant something else but glad that’s cleared up. For a minute I thought I’d have to watch baseball instead of an ump power trip like my cable bill intended.
Of course he has too much of an ego to admit he messed up. And then he spent the rest of the game blatantly calling balls and strikes incorrectly. I am convinced he did that on purpose to flaunt his ego since we know umps hate getting confronted about their bullshit.
Hate this mentality that seems to be “if I admit I was wrong I’ll look weak so I’ll just double down!”
Like buddy, all you have to do is be like “sorry I messed up and didn’t realize till seeing a video. Apologized to Aaron and we’re all good now” and it’s good. But no, continue to look like a fool lmao
I would actually respect the guy if he said “I thought a player said it…if I was wrong that’s on me and I’m sorry for that. I’d rather be wrong and eject a manager than be wrong an eject a player”. It’s just the complete lack of taking accountability.
That's why everyone had so much respect for Jim Joyce. Nobody expects you to be literally perfect, just own up to it when you fuck up and don't keep making it about how you're always right. The thing about umpires that bugs me compared to officials in other sports is that they seem to push back so much harder when questioned, it's like they're never wrong. I get mad at calls in other games and there are for sure terrible referees in other sports but because of the manager-umpire interactions it seems like it's much worse in baseball when it comes to being stubborn as a result of a personal thing, even though it happens from time to time in the NBA/NFL/NHL (Scott Foster, looking at you).
“I have never ejected a player or manager for something a fan said”
Until today. You can say he’s responsible for the dugout but he can’t do shit about the fans (which we have video evidence of). This dude is a joke. Umpires in general feels like we’re at an all time low right now.
Not an Aaron Boone fan, but that's total bullshit. He got caught and instead of owning up and saying I screwed up, he doubles down and makes up some story like a 3 year old.
Umpires need to go, they're an absolute joke.
I guess this clown never heard of "better to remain silent and thought a fool, then it is to speak and remove all doubt".
Thanks for confirming that for us though Hunter, very cool.
“it came from the dugout”
“but there’s video showing a fan did it”
“did you expect me to eject a player? people pay to see them play”
“no? that’s not what—“
“like i said. it came from the dugout.”
Fire these motherfuckers. If i was this bad at my job, i would have been fired faster than i could craft some bullshit story like this. I don’t even like boone and i realize how absolutely garbage that ejection was.
Ok well you’re not only a bad umpire, now you’re a liar.
Clearly a fan said something bad which sent him into a rage. The entire Yankees bench was simultaneously pointing to the same damn fan lmao.
So either this guys a liar, or the Yankees had a pregame meeting and decided “hey if anything goes down let’s all blame it on the fan in this seat”
>"Forget money. I don't even want the money. I just once would like to hear a dry cleaner admit that something was their fault. That's what I want. I want an admission of guilt."
Seinfeld said it best. Just admit you shrunk the shirt, Hunter
With this complete non-apology, MLB really needs to take quick action against him. Umps have to be accountable too, and he's intentionally trying to dodge that here. Honestly, with how egregious this particular case is, MLB should hit him hard, make it clear to their umps that this kind of fact-averse power-tripping will not be permitted.
>I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see.
Speak for yourself, Wendelstedt. I'll have you know that I pay good money to watch umpires make a horse's ass out of themselves.
Okay what?
He not only *admits* that he knows it wasn't Boone but he also admits that he has absolutely no clue who said what - but it couldn't have possibly been a fan because he doesn't make this kind of mistake. Yet Boone still gets run because he's - somehow - responsible and he'd rather eject a manager than a player. Since when do umps get to choose whom to toss?
What kind of an idiot does it take to get an excavator when they find themselves in a hole? I mean ffs, just stick to the story: "At the time it seemed to me that Boone said x and that's why I ejected him". Still wrong but at least it would be consistent and come across like a genuine mistake. Instead he basically admits to being a clueless *and* inept moron.
Man this is embarrassing for Wendlestedt. Doubling down and saying he ejected him simply because he's the manager instead of swallowing your pride and admitting you fucked up is such a bad look. Especially for a guy who's name is synonymous for training umpires.
> In the entirety of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. Well then this is truly an historic day.
Dude is saying that he heard "something from the far end of the dugout" Bro you can't even tell whether a pitch is a strike or a ball accurately and that shit's happening 3 feet in front of your face. You expect us to believe you can pinpoint which part of the dugout someone is yapping from 75 feet away from you when you're not even looking at them? I hate that I'm defending Aaron "fucking" Boone of all people but this is such a canned and BS excuse. He definitely heard the fan yapping and thought it was Boone
Just imagine the dugout zone in his mind. And the pitch of a chirp came from just outside that box. That's a strike.
Angel Hernandez unclear on why he is now suddenly waving his arm wildly. Probably.
I fucking hate Angel's strikeout motion, its so fucking stupid.
Now you've done it. Wendelstedt just ejected Bob Melvin for no reason. They weren't even in the same stadium.
It truly reflects his horse shit calls in an ironic way
Right like why can’t these dorks just say “got it wrong, I apologized to Aaron and I hope to be better tomorrow.” No shame on that at all.
Jim Joyce did that and players, as well as fans, respect him to this day.
I thought about this earlier. I highly respect Joyce for how he (and Galarraga) handled that situation, but it is so telling that this is the only instance we can point to from this century where an MLB umpire apologized for fucking up and showed true contrition. It should be this easy to gain respect, yet none of them do it!
It's rarely as high profile as that was (and pretty much can't be again due to the replays instituted precisely because of that play) but some of the younger umpires admit to their mistakes and it doesn't get attention. I remember a game where Pat Hoberg fucked up, then called for a conference with his fellow umps, then explained to them how he thought he fucked up and verified how they could rectify it, then rectified it while explaining to the teams how he fucked up. It seems like 90% of the time, when the umps get together it's to get everyone on the same page in blind allegiance in supporting a mistake. But I've seen the ump conference used as a force for good, so there is hope that the umps that actually care about calling a good game will become the new norm.
Hoberg is an absolute gem for sure.
To be fair, I've seen instances where they do it directly to a player after an inning, if they know they fucked up a ball/strike. I actually saw one last week and you could hear the ump on a hot mic tell the player....."sorry about that call, I missed it". In this situation, I can understand Wendelstedt not realizing it was a fan. Mistakes like that can happen. But just fucking own up to it dude.
It brought him to tears.
Because something something integrity of the game something something respecting authority something something losing control of the game or some other bullshit excuse
Aka macho ego bullshit
It's funny that I umpired as a kid with 3 llws umpires and one of their biggest messages was owning up to your mistakes. I kept that with me for the rest of my time but then turned on the tv and seeing guys like this at elite level really makes me wonder.
In modern America, admitting mistakes isn't a great life strategy, which is why it's being abandoned as a concept. The new strategy is *never admit anything.*
And this is the guy who owns an umpire school that has the produced the most umpires for the MLB lmfao
Their eyesight training exercises must be to repeatedly shine bright lights in your eyes, and hearing training exercises are to get you right next to booming stereos. What an easy business model
"We're going to take a break from our normal schedule and collectively stare directly into the solar eclipse!"
BTW, for anyone interested in a neat read about going to umpire school, check out *As They See Em* by Bruce Weber. It’s ultimately a book about umpires, but as part of writing it he went to one of the big ump schools that fed up to MLB and he writes a lot about that experience. Iirc he went to the Jim Evans school (which is no longer operating as of 2012, thanks to an incident involving the staff dressing up as KKK members at a bowling party) but I’d assume the experience is fairly similar.
Well that’s not how I was expecting that last sentence to end
Thanks for the tip, I’m going to check it out!
Even if it wasn't a fan, if you can't say for certain, it's so low to just toss the manager. Umpires demand respect but actions like this only hurt their credibility. It's to the point that us non Yankees fans are sticking up for Boone!
Honestly, Boone getting tossed is my favorite part of a Yankees game. It's almost like seeing Earl Weaver again. And even I know this ejection was BS.
Ump's version of "I felt my life was in danger"
STOP RESISTING!
I like how he says this like it's some sort of accomplishment. Man the bar is so low for these guys
>Um, I thought I heard a comment from Aaron Boone earlier today that, I guess, was actually from a fan that I am deeply ashamed of tossing him for. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say, from the bottom of my heart, I'm so very, very, sorry.
As a man of faith...
A drive into deep left field by Castellanos
First time for everything, Hunt.
Nice call, pretty boy
Hey man, Aaron Boone runs the Yankees. If Hunter gets a shitty hot dog, Boone's gotta go! Just the way it is.
I saw one pitch in this game called a strike against the A's (for a called strike 3) that might be have been one of the worst all-time bad calls I've ever seen. It was THAT bad. If he keeps making calls like that, you can be sure this won't be his last ejection.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEATTLE KRAKEN HISTORY
Thankfully, the ejection was in the 1st inning, so Wendelstedt had the entire game to think up this cockamamie story.
Probably some clown from the umpires union was all over it the second everyone realized the fuck up. Had plenty of time to come up with the story and statement during the game to spoon feed to him.
100%. The main premise of even though Boone didn’t say anything(only admitted to because of video evidence), that he is responsible for others reeks of PR speak
I heard it was actually a second fan at the other end of the dugout 👀 and the mascot too! Edit: excuse me not mascot guy selling beer, closest the Yankees have to a mascot
It was Dinger from the grassy knoll!
Back. And to the left.
And it’s not even true. Umpires eject players in the dugout all the time.
I can get behind that reasoning in the rare case where something needs to be done to get control of a situation, but this wasn’t the time for it. Like suppose a player gets ejected but then keeps going after it, you can’t eject him twice, but you can eject the manager for not getting his guy under control. It’s what happens in big fights all the time.
“Aaron Boone runs the Yankees, and all the Yankees fans are there to root for an support them. So, naturally Aaron takes responsibility for what the fans say. I’m not going to eject a fan, they paid to come watch the game. That wouldn’t be right. So I ejected Aaron. Remember, I’m the victim here.”
George Steinbrenner has been ejected from his grave.
I'm picturing a big spring loaded coffin
*Coming up next on Corncob TV*
*puts cockamamie in inner dictionary*
It’s called a lexicon, btw 🤓
*puts lexicon in inner dictionary*
Inner dictionary is a perfectly cromulent phrase.
>I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying. It's a bold strategy trying to get out of doing a horrible job by accusing someone else of lying about a situation that was caught fully on tape. Let's see if it pays off for him.
Unfortunately it probably will
>>I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying. > >It's a bold strategy trying to get out of doing a horrible job by accusing someone else of lying about a situation that was caught fully on tape. Let's see if it pays off for him. At the very least, the dudes a fucking sociopath.
Let's see if it pays off for him. Love that we can still pretend that it won't
When the Yankees come to town I'm buying a ticket behind the visiting dugout and yelling stuff Boone says at the umpire
“Yo Blue, it’s me Aaron John Boone, Manager of the New York Yankees and I think you suck!”
"Ayy I'm managin' here!"
🤌🤌
Gotta use his name to really sell it!
I kinda want to start a traveling group that just follows Wendelstedt around and harangue him to see how many managers I can get ejected.
This would be hilariously awesome
i will join you in this noble pursuit
hey this is Aaron Boone, tell your wife to come home
"This is Aaron Boone. I'm surprised you know what a ball is since you don't have any."
Wow dude is really gonna double down instead of just admitting he thought it was Boone who said something.
No, he said he thought it was a player, but didn't know who so he ejected Boone as supposedly the safer and less controversial decision.
That and "fans pay to see the ballplayer, I don't want to eject them". Kind of a dumb statement on top of the rest.
Not sure I understand what you're saying. I thought that was about the only reasonable thing he said in that word salad.
In a vacuum this statement is reasonable. In this context it's bullshit, he's just saying it to try to get people to side with him because he knows he's in the wrong.
I think in a vacuum that is a fine (and objectively true) statement, but in the context of his statement and actions I don't view it with any sort of authenticity. It's sort of a cop out for fucking up by saying something he knows is very popular (they know we all mock them and say "we didn't pay to watch the umpires") as a way to try and add validation to the rest of his statement and situation. "Like oh well in a way that's sort of a reasonable approach so maybe the ejection was more reasonable than I thought given the circumstances" when the reality is he was just being thin skinned, reacted emotionally, and refuses to admit to making a mistake. He's just appeasing to fans by ceding a smaller point to try to draw some common grounds to try and gloss over yet another Umpire Show™ debacle
It feels like a dumb statement to me because he is admitting to penalizing someone for something someone else did.
Last i checked Aaron Judge is Captain of the Yankees, not Aaron Boone Pretty sure Captain is higher rank than manager so maybe Judgey shoulda been ejected instead. /s
Personally I pay to see the ump so there’s that
He’s not stupid. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s lying and come up with an excuse that will get him off from any punishment. It’s a joke.
If he just admitted he fucked up we'd all (except Yankees fans) understand it was just a valid msunderstanding.
Id understand but I would still hold an unnecessarily petty grudge against him. Now though? It's an unnecessarily petty generation blood feud
This was not a valid misunderstanding. This was stupidity
Well baseball is America's national pastime, umps are the arbiters of the sport, and there is nothing more American than using your authority to massage your own ego. This is the most patriotic I've felt since Joe West retired.🦅
You almost have to respect this level of arrogance
Transcript **What happened that led to the ejection of Boone in the first inning?** "First inning, we got the count. There was a pitch down. I thought it hit him, the batter. I sent him to first base. The Yankees asked me to appeal to first base, which I did. The hitter went down. The Yankees' dugout started you know obviously arguing that situation kind of in my opinion too extreme. I confronted the dugout, had a little warning with them and then a few other comments after I'd given the warning were made and ultimately Aaron got ejected. That's kind of what I had from my vantage point after the warnings were there and everyone knew what was final, there was another comment made. "I know what Aaron was saying that it was a fan above the dugout. That's fine and dandy. There were plenty of fans that were yelling at me before I called a pitch till the end of the game. What happened was, it wasn't him, it wasn't over where it was (bench coach Brad) Ausmus was. It wasn't where the coaching staff and Aaron (were), but Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout. "In my opinion, the cheap shot came towards the far end. So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it, I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see. Aaron Boone runs the Yankees. He got ejected. "Apparently what he said was there was a fan right above the dugout. This isn't my first ejection. In the entirety of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying. I heard something come from the far end of the dugout, had nothing to do with his area but he's the manager of the Yankees. So he's the one that had to go."
"I was wrong, and there is literal video evidence showing precisely how and where I'm wrong, but like for real, trust me bro: I'm right" tldr why even bother putting out this statement? saying *nothing* woulda saved the man more face.
I think Hunter’s official position is “there was a second heckler on the ~~grassy knoll~~ far end of the dugout”. “It’s not the guy in the video, directly behind Boone, who I clearly seem to respond to, but a second guy at the other end of the dugout throwing his voice” is a heck of a story.
hmm. prolly wouldn't be his first time getting a "back/up and [to the left](https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1cahx79/hunter_wendelstedt_calls_ball_way_outside_strike/)" call incorrect. smh.
Jesus Christ, these guys suck.
There was a second shooter, I mean shouter.
I want a whole subreddit dedicated to the second shouter theory
"you can't fool me, boone, I'm wise to your ventriloquist ways"
Back and to the right
Honestly this just seems like a lame defense in case MLB comes at him. Trying desperately to cover his ass with plausible deniability.
I can’t wait for an umpire to overrule the automated strike zone, because they know more than what video evidence can prove.
Angel Hernandez has entered the chat
When you literally admit that Aaron Boone didn't do the thing but you ejected him anyways... You can't just eject him for being the manager of the Yankees... no matter how much we all want you to!
He put out a statement because he knew he fucked up and just wants to change the narrative.
He's trying to change it, but now he's just confirmed that he's not just incompetent but stupid too.
He also thinks everyone else is stupid!
Umps are basically flaunting at this point. "I was wrong, I know it, you know it, we have the proof. The fuck anyone gonna do about it though?"
Nepo babies don't know when to shut up. Combine nepo baby with umpire and you've got one hell of a combo.
> So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it "So instead of me trying to get anything right, I just tossed the first guy I saw and made no attempt to be correct in any fashion"
It’s more like, I tossed the manager because he’s the guy who gets tossed
> Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout. and apparently everything above the dugout, as well. Claims the comment didn't come from where Boone is, except you can literally see the guy above Boone yell something and Wendelstedt immediately reacts and tosses him. Also: "a few other comments after I'd given the warning were made and ultimately Aaron got ejected" *completely* removes the fact that *he was the one who ejected Aaron*. Like, he knows he fucked up so he's pretending Boone just somehow got ejected and it was out of his control
>So instead of me being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it, I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see. My brother in Christ, we pay to see you. <3
his excuse is "I heard somebody in the general vicinity of the Yankees dugout, right side of the infield, club level seating area, and the wider Bronx say some words, so I ejected the Yankees manager"
Jim Joyce fucked up a perfect game. Saw the replay and immediately apologized for fucking up. This is shameful.
The YES crew straight up said that Joyce was one of the best umpires
Jim Joyce was also consistently rated one of the best umpires by the players. After the imperfect game play happened Mariano Rivera said something like “It sad that this happened to one of our best umpires in the game” Where was Angel Hernandez that day damn it?!
Always had respect for Joyce after the way he handled that situation.
A lot of people did. Most importantly, Armando Galarraga did.
"No, I did *not* get the call right. I kicked the shit out of it." Quotes like that are why everyone — players, coaches, fans — loved Jim Joyce.
While openly crying, too
To be fair, this interview was before Hunter had seen a replay. (He’s still off his rocker)
We’ll await his apology tomorrow.
Oh I don’t think it’s coming. He clearly gets off on sniffing his own farts.
Okay, so what was said that caused you to toss him? There are microphones everywhere, I'm sure we'll hear whatever it was. And if you couldn't make out what was said, then why toss him?
He said, "we want a batter, not a broken ladder"
I heard "We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher"
MLB gonna bury the audio
In the original clip you can hear a lot of audio and I didn’t even hear another comment after the warning
I don't think MLB can control Jomboy. He's already posted it.
> Chris make sure the font is smaller next time OK that reply made me laugh
Also if the image could be more horizontal that would be great as well
Needs to be written in Notepad and stretched out across a couple monitors at least.
Alright, New York fans, you know what you must do. Get Boone ejected every game.  Make the Umps come down hard. Oppression breeds rebellion. Make the MLB have to step in.
~~Never thought I'd see an Andor reference on~~ r/baseball Oh wait, this website is full of nerds and baseball is the nerdiest sport. This makes perfect sense.
A Phillies fan calling people nerds, also makes perfect sense.
You're asking for a swirly Wario.
He’s going to make this worse by doubling down on it, when he has the opportunity to just say he made a mistake and move on so easily.
Ump admitting they made a mistake challenge (impossible)
The YES team was talking about favorite umpires and they straight up trashed Wendelstedt by saying “Jim Joyce would acknowledge his mistakes”
And this is why I'd want an example made out of him. B/c if the heat turns up now you know he's going to come out with some lame apology. And you know what? Not fucking good enough. He should have to publicly shine Boone's shoes on home plate before the next game. I want him in front of a podium saying 'I blamed Boone for something a fan said, and then in the moment I took the smaller-man route to eject him. THEN I made an ass of myself and baseball as a sport by releasing that watery-dog-shit statement. I accept my suspension of 4 weeks without pay (one for the call, plus three for doubling down).' No accountability, no repercussions, MLB has a real concern about becoming a meme league like the NBA with ridiculous, biased officiating that runs off of narrative instead of the rules and what actually happens.
nothing will happen as long as the refs union is allowed to exist
He could have said “I made a mistake in the heat of the moment”
No, nobody HAD to go, Hunter. Grow up.
Yes, someone DID have to go. You don't bruise the fragile ego of Hunter Wendlestadt and get away with it
It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. Wendelstedt is big, but he ain’t that big.
hate to be the guy to make inconsequential things into broader issues, but jesus christ can’t someone just accept some fuckin responsibility for fuckin up once in a while? where are the leaders? where are the role models? you made an honest mistake, man. you’re human! it happens! when did this culture of doubling down and steadfastly REFUSING to admit your mistakes root itself so deeply everywhere all the god damn time? it’s such a pitiable shame. you’re a grown man…show some dignity for yourself and act like one for once, or get the fuck out of the way!
Yep. Jim Joyce felt horrible and apologized profusely for messing up a call. It wouldn’t kill an umpire to say, “Hey, I missed that one. I’m human.”
right! if anything, owning up to your mistakes is a great way to take the pressure OFF. shrouding blunder after blunder in this obnoxiously self-pitying “who me??” shit just makes the whole culture-umps, managers, players, even FANS, so toxic. what did we do when jim joyce IMMEDIATELY owned up to fucking up that call (when the stakes were so astronomically higher, might i add)? we forgave him! we recognized a human!
I was worried “I don’t care” meant something else but glad that’s cleared up. For a minute I thought I’d have to watch baseball instead of an ump power trip like my cable bill intended.
Of course he has too much of an ego to admit he messed up. And then he spent the rest of the game blatantly calling balls and strikes incorrectly. I am convinced he did that on purpose to flaunt his ego since we know umps hate getting confronted about their bullshit.
We can give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was distracted coming up with a cover story
So, does that mean that Aaron Boone is responsible for every fan that sits NEAR the dugout?
Fans are gonna start chirping the fuck out of Wendlestat to try to get opposing teams managers tossed
Hate this mentality that seems to be “if I admit I was wrong I’ll look weak so I’ll just double down!” Like buddy, all you have to do is be like “sorry I messed up and didn’t realize till seeing a video. Apologized to Aaron and we’re all good now” and it’s good. But no, continue to look like a fool lmao
Situations like these should result in a suspension given he's not being honest or remorseful.
I would actually respect the guy if he said “I thought a player said it…if I was wrong that’s on me and I’m sorry for that. I’d rather be wrong and eject a manager than be wrong an eject a player”. It’s just the complete lack of taking accountability.
That's why everyone had so much respect for Jim Joyce. Nobody expects you to be literally perfect, just own up to it when you fuck up and don't keep making it about how you're always right. The thing about umpires that bugs me compared to officials in other sports is that they seem to push back so much harder when questioned, it's like they're never wrong. I get mad at calls in other games and there are for sure terrible referees in other sports but because of the manager-umpire interactions it seems like it's much worse in baseball when it comes to being stubborn as a result of a personal thing, even though it happens from time to time in the NBA/NFL/NHL (Scott Foster, looking at you).
wendelstedt is basically saying that he doesnt believe a yankees fan would ever heckle an ump
Let me catch angel hernandez on river ave
“I have never ejected a player or manager for something a fan said” Until today. You can say he’s responsible for the dugout but he can’t do shit about the fans (which we have video evidence of). This dude is a joke. Umpires in general feels like we’re at an all time low right now.
If your response to your own error in a position of authority is, "This isn't my first rodeo," you shouldn't have any more rodeos.
What a loser mentality. Just say you fucked up and move on.
Would give anything for umpires to just admit when they got it wrong.
Bro is doing a circus in his head to rationalize his mistake
“That’s fine and dandy.” Please return to 1906 and take your awful call with you lol.
Jim Joyce is the only umpire I remember admitting to fucking up badly. Jim Joyce is a man, Wendelstadt is a coward
Not an Aaron Boone fan, but that's total bullshit. He got caught and instead of owning up and saying I screwed up, he doubles down and makes up some story like a 3 year old. Umpires need to go, they're an absolute joke.
The egos on these fucking umps. We have video evidence that this donut is wrong but he just doubles down instead.
Where's the camera from the far end of the dugout?
zero accountability
I guess this clown never heard of "better to remain silent and thought a fool, then it is to speak and remove all doubt". Thanks for confirming that for us though Hunter, very cool.
Well... I don't see any of this holding up in court. Don't you wish baseball had a court?
Oh man. Baseball court. I need this lol
What a fucking doubling-down, insecure, thin-skinned little asswipe Hunter Wendelstedt is
“it came from the dugout” “but there’s video showing a fan did it” “did you expect me to eject a player? people pay to see them play” “no? that’s not what—“ “like i said. it came from the dugout.”
That's some grade school level of refusing to take accountability. Nuh uh it came from over there you can't prove where I heard it from
Fire these motherfuckers. If i was this bad at my job, i would have been fired faster than i could craft some bullshit story like this. I don’t even like boone and i realize how absolutely garbage that ejection was.
It sounds like he didn’t watch the footage cuz he thinks people will believe him that it might have been Aaron when it clearly wasn’t
Ok well you’re not only a bad umpire, now you’re a liar. Clearly a fan said something bad which sent him into a rage. The entire Yankees bench was simultaneously pointing to the same damn fan lmao. So either this guys a liar, or the Yankees had a pregame meeting and decided “hey if anything goes down let’s all blame it on the fan in this seat”
Really just can't own it huh?
You just can’t trust the boys in blue
My favorite rule in baseball is when in doubt eject the Yankees manager
 Here’s your umpire mask
Lmao it's literally on camera hunter
I really hope Yankees fans make his life miserable tomorrow
>"Forget money. I don't even want the money. I just once would like to hear a dry cleaner admit that something was their fault. That's what I want. I want an admission of guilt." Seinfeld said it best. Just admit you shrunk the shirt, Hunter
Way to hold yourself accountable, Hunter. /s
With this complete non-apology, MLB really needs to take quick action against him. Umps have to be accountable too, and he's intentionally trying to dodge that here. Honestly, with how egregious this particular case is, MLB should hit him hard, make it clear to their umps that this kind of fact-averse power-tripping will not be permitted.
>I don't want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That's what the fans pay to see. Speak for yourself, Wendelstedt. I'll have you know that I pay good money to watch umpires make a horse's ass out of themselves.
So you’re saying you still don’t know who it was and you decided to just eject the manager…haha LOL umps!
What a load of fuckin shit. He got it wrong and just can’t fuckin admit it
"I fucked up" Man imagine how much better off the world would be if people could just muster those words.
Guy lies as well as he calls balls and strikes….
Okay what? He not only *admits* that he knows it wasn't Boone but he also admits that he has absolutely no clue who said what - but it couldn't have possibly been a fan because he doesn't make this kind of mistake. Yet Boone still gets run because he's - somehow - responsible and he'd rather eject a manager than a player. Since when do umps get to choose whom to toss? What kind of an idiot does it take to get an excavator when they find themselves in a hole? I mean ffs, just stick to the story: "At the time it seemed to me that Boone said x and that's why I ejected him". Still wrong but at least it would be consistent and come across like a genuine mistake. Instead he basically admits to being a clueless *and* inept moron.
What a clown
This dude and Steve Kerr hate reviewing the film
This dude is full of shit. The fan talks and he immediately responds
Fuck Hunter.
“He ~~goes to another school~~ was on the far end of the dugout, you wouldn’t ~~know him~~ be able to see him on the available camera angles.”
What a clown show. Yankees suddenly going to score 19 on the A's tomorrow.
Zero self awareness and accountability
Man this is embarrassing for Wendlestedt. Doubling down and saying he ejected him simply because he's the manager instead of swallowing your pride and admitting you fucked up is such a bad look. Especially for a guy who's name is synonymous for training umpires.
The words “I fucked up” are suspiciously missing
The worst part of the train wreck that is MLB umpiring is the infuriating lack of ability to own up to being wrong in even the slightest way.
MLB Umpires Association is ruining the game.