Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton was unhappy with a ruling from the umpiring crew during Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field, and he was even unhappier after getting ejected moments later.
Shelton voiced his displeasure with home plate umpire Nic Lentz, and some of that expletive-laden audio was loud and clear on the MLB-produced Twins.TV and Reds.TV broadcasts.
With the Twins leading 4-2 in the top of the seventh, Reds star Elly De La Cruz had a check-swing. Lentz appealed, asking first base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt if De La Cruz went around for a swing, and Wendelstedt ruled that De La Cruz did not, resulting in a ball on the pitch. Displeased voices were heard from the Minnesota dugout, and the broadcast showed Shelton among those yelling at Wendelstedt. One pitch later, De La Cruz hit a 2-1 pitch for a two-out RBI single.
Just a few seconds later, Shelton was ejected by Lentz, and numerous F-bombs came through on the broadcast.
“I wasn’t even f*cking talking to you!” Shelton told Lentz multiple times.
“I wasn’t even f*cking talking to you! I wasn’t even f*cking talking to you!… God d*mmit! Come on!… I didn’t say anything to you! I said nothing to you!… I did not say that! No! No!… I did not do anything to you! All I said was ‘Let’s f*cking go!’… No, that’s bullsh*t!”
Shelton then took the anger to third base umpire Vic Carapazza.
“God d*mmit! Come on!… I didn’t f*cking say anything!.. I said, ‘Let’s f*cking go!… That’s f*cking bullsh*t!…”
To make the day even more unpleasant for Shelton and the Twins, the Reds went on to win the game 5-4.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.