Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas was not the only one unhappy with second-year MLB umpire Emil Jimenez on Thursday.
Thomas, 28, was ejected for the first time in his career during the sixth inning of the Nationals’ 7-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers in their series finale on Thursday, but fans were outraged by the bizarre circumstances that led to that ejection.
Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas looks on during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Thomas struck out on a questionable strike call on a 2-2 count when he appeared to briefly look behind him toward Jimenez.
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Jimenez, who made his major league debut in 2023, did not hesitate to throw Thomas out of the game despite audio showing that Thomas did not say a word to him after the call was made.
“What?” Thomas could be heard shouting in disbelief. “Are you s—-ing me? I didn’t look at you, it was at the ball!”
Bench coach Miguel Cairo of the Washington Nationals tries to direct outfielder Lane Thomas away from home plate umpire Emil Jimenez after Thomas was ejected for arguing a called third strike during the sixth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday. (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
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Ex-MLB player and current Nationals announcer Kevin Frandsen ripped the call during Thursday’s broadcast.
“We literally have video and voice audio. He never said anything that—that’s just bad. That makes me even more mad,” he said.
“That’s just a bad job by Emil Jimenez right there,” Frandsen also noted. “Look, he called it a strike. And he said [Thomas] directed something at him with a bad word. Lane doesn’t say that word. So we have a liar.”
Lane Thomas of the Washington Nationals reacts after being ejected by home plate umpire Emil Jimenez after a called third strike during the sixth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday. (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
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The Nationals’ five-game win streak ended with Thursday’s loss. The ejection marked Thomas’ first of his MLB career and the 76th ejection of the regular season.
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