Baseball is truly a game of inches. Just ask Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin, who was tossed on Wednesday night after arguing balls and strikes with umpire Jerry Layne. However, he had a good reason.
Manny Machado was in a 3-2 count when reliever Jacob Webb painted the inside corner with a 96 mph fastball that looked to be a strike. Instead, Layne called it a ball and the next hitter ultimately grounded out to put them ahead by one run. The Padres went on to win 5-3. After the loss, Nevin went scorched earth on Layne for the brutal call.
Via MLB.com:
“It was a strike,” Nevin said. “There was a pitch earlier in the at-bat that was a strike. Just blatant misses. I don’t get that part of it [especially] in a big spot in the game. That’s strike three and we get a ground ball and the inning should be over. I never said he cost us the game but we could still be playing.”
The Angels get the right call and they're out of that inning. There's a lack of inconsistency with a lot of MLB umpires and it truly changes the outcome of a game in a heartbeat.
Article Continues BelowIn case you missed Nevin getting thrown out, here it is:
Phil Nevin, 5 seconds before and after his ejection…
"Why the f**k you throw me out?!?" 😂 pic.twitter.com/pdgwsieIf4
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 6, 2023
Frustration is building for the Angels right now. Mike Trout is out for 4-8 weeks with a broken hamate bone in his hand, while third baseman Anthony Rendon just fouled a ball off his shin, but looks like he'll avoid another stint on the IL. As for Shohei Ohtani, he's dealing with a finger blister.
Los Angeles was swept by San Diego and now heads to Chavez Ravine for the Highway Series with the Dodgers starting Friday.