One of the most bizarre ejections of the MLB season happened a few days ago. After just the first inning, Arizona Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner was pulled aside by the umpires. One of the umps, Dan Bellino, seemingly tried to provoke Bumgarner by staring at him. The pitcher retaliated, and he was subsequently ejected from the game.

The ejection of the Diamondbacks ace caused a stir amongst fans, who believed that Bellino abused his power. On Friday, the umpire finally spoke out about the Madison Bumgarner ejection. Bellino, in a league statement, apologized for his actions, saying that: (via AZ Central)

“When I began my MLB career almost 15 years ago, I received some good advice. I was told to umpire every game as if my children were sitting in the front row. I fell short of those expectations this week. While I can’t go back and change what happened, I take full accountability. I will learn from this incident, and I sincerely apologize.”

Bellino caught a lot of heat from the Diamondbacks fanbase, and for good reason. At first glance, it did seem like the umpire was intentionally trying to aggravate Bumgarner to get him to react. It didn't help that most fans (and some players) don't think too highly of the umpires today.

Aside from the apology, it's reported that Bellino has been fined for his actions. Bumgarner, on the other hand, won't be receiving any punishment from the league. It's a huge sigh of relief for Diamondbacks fans, who have been relying on the lefty ace all season long.