Angels manager Phil Nevin was ejected on Saturday after Shohei Ohtani -- one of his players -- hit a home run. Jul 22, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Angels interim manager Phil Nevin (88) watches a game against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
By Reice Shipley on

Saturday night brought one of the strangest ejections to date this MLB season in a game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves.

Angels manager Phil Nevin quickly became agitated with the umpires after a controversial check-swing call on Braves third baseman Austin Riley was deemed to not be a swing in the bottom of the fourth inning. This call came back to cost the Angels, as Riley then went on to hit a two-run home run in the same at-bat after what would have been strike three was not called.

 

In the top of the 5th inning, Angels star Shohei Ohtani hit a line-drive home run off Braves pitcher Kyle Wright, but it was clear that Nevin’s frustration had boiled over into the next inning.

As Ohtani was walking into the dugout after rounding the bases, Nevin was still arguing with the umpires, appearing to say that it should be a 5-2 deficit for the Angels instead of the 7-2 score. He then went out onto the field to argue the prior call on Riley, where he was subsequently ejected from the game.

The timing of this was extremely strange, as you would imagine that if Nevin was going to argue the call, it would be in the inning that the play occurred.

Many around the MLB world understand Nevin’s frustration but question his decision to argue long after Riley’s check-swing if that was his issue.

This series of events is a microcosm of how the Angels’ season has gone thus far, with Ohtani briefly showing off his excellence shortly followed by the incompetence that surrounds the Angels organization stealing the show.

They currently sit in fourth place in the AL West and are clearly outside of the playoff picture in the American League, and Nevin’s ejection just shows that things are only getting worse for the organization as the season rolls on.

[Bally Sports South, Bally Sports West]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley