See wild play that earned Giants manager Tony Vitello his first ejection
· Yahoo Sports
Jerar Encarnacion reached first base on an error, until he didn't.
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San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello took exception and earned the first ejection of his MLB career in the process.
In the bottom of the seventh inning in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the New York Mets at Oracle Park, Encarnacion chopped a sinker from Mets pitcher Huascar Brazobán into the infield and took off toward first base. Brazobán fielded the ball and fired it to first baseman Mark Vientos, who couldn't hang on as the ball plopped out of his glove and hit the ground.
But first base umpire Nestor Ceja called Encarnacion out anyways, declaring that he failed to stay inside the runner's lane. The call itself though, was controversial because umpires usually only make it when a runner interferes with the ball or the throw, which Encarnacion did neither of.
“Jerar was on the grass,” Vitello told reporters postgame. “You’re not going to be automatically out for being on the grass only if the (umpire) sees that the runner impedes the throw. The throw didn’t hit the runner.”
Tony Vitello’s first ejection happens because the umps say this is an out pic.twitter.com/6HBxAGcH42
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 5, 2026
Vitello immediately confronted Ceja on the field, the veins in his neck popping as he got in the ump's face and delivered an expletive-filled rant that's sure to get a lip reading from Jomboy in the next few days. Ceja entertained Vitello for a while, standing in front of him with his arms crossed as the two exchanged words before Ceja ultimately sent Vitello packing for the rest of the game.
“I said one last thing, just out of frustration or being all fired up. That was complete nonsense,” Vitello said. “I think it was misinterpreted a little bit. When you’re on the field that long, and you’re not a player, you’re probably out of place a little bit.”
As Vitello walked back through the dugout and into the clubhouse, he received pats on the backside in support from several of his players.
The last time Vitello had been ejected was just under a year ago on May 4, 2025 for arguing balls and strikes while he was coaching at the University of Tennessee.
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Giants are 3-7 under Vitello. The Mets, meanwhile, improved to 6-4 with Sunday's win.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants manager Tony Vitello ejected for first time in MLB career