Tension flared late in a tight game between the Yankees and Reds on Tuesday(June 24) and it ended with an unexpected ejection. In the 9th inning of a tied game at Great American Ball Park, Yankees outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was tossed by home plate umpire Mark Wegner after a heated exchange. But according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, the situation may have been nudged along by a familiar face in a new uniform.
Speaking to reporters the next day, Boone said he believed Reds catcher Jose Trevino, who spent three seasons with the Yankees before being traded to Cincinnati, had a hand in escalating the moment. “There’s a pretty strong case Jazz Chisholm Jr. should not have been ejected from last night’s game,” Boone said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “I believe Jose Trevino contributed to the ejection, directing HP umpire Mark Wegner to look at Jazz at third base.”
Trevino appeared to gesture toward Chisholm during the inning, catching the umpire’s attention just before the ejection.
On the YES Network broadcast, Yankees play-by-play voice Michael Kay was critical of Chisholm’s actions, saying, “Jazz Chisholm just got thrown out, and really he has nobody to blame but himself.”
On MLB Network, analysts Greg Amsinger and Dan Plesac weighed in as well. “It looked like he took himself out of this game,” Amsinger said. “Because he just wouldn’t let it go.” Plesac added, “This wasn’t a quick hook. The umpire let him go ahead and say his piece. But he just carried on a little bit too long.”
“Woo-hoo! A little gamesmanship from a former Yankee!” Amsinger quipped in closing.
As both teams continue to jockey for postseason positioning, this minor drama might not leave a lasting mark, but it’s a reminder that baseball’s unwritten rules and relationships run deep, even when uniforms change.