Tony Vitello’s first season as an MLB manager went out with a bang, but definitely not the good kind. The San Francisco Giants boss got tossed from his team’s season finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning, making it his MLB-high seventh ejection for the year.
Vitello’s Seventh Booting: A History Lesson?
Vitello’s temper hit the boiling point after a check-swing call from first-base umpire Marvin Hudson. It was the third inning, one out, and runners on first and second. Dodgers star Mookie Betts was at the plate, and on a high fastball from Sam Hentges, his bat clearly went past the plate. That should have been strike three, plain and simple! Hudson gave Vitello the quick boot, and man, Vitello made sure to get his money’s worth yelling. Hentges did get Betts on a swinging strike later, but still, that first call was brutal.
Seriously, Vitello’s seven ejections are the most by any manager in MLB this season. For an NL skipper, you have to go back to then-Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell in 2023 to find someone with that many. And get this: check-swing calls are unreviewable judgment calls. This isn’t the first time they’ve burned the Giants against the Dodgers either. Remember 2021? A 107-win Giants team had their season ended when umpires ruled Wilmer Flores swung at a pitch in the NLDS. Vitello wasn’t there for that, but you gotta wonder if that memory was simmering.
From College Darling to MLB Hot Seat
Vitello’s arrival was supposed to be a fresh start. He joined the Giants last offseason as one of MLB’s most outside-the-box hires, brought in by Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey. Before 2026, Vitello hadn’t touched professional baseball, not even as a minor-league player. He was a college hero, leading Tennessee to the College World Series in 2024. The Giants wanted him to steer a veteran roster into the playoffs, something they hadn’t done since that infamous 2021 check-swing call, but instead, they took a colossal step backward. They went from an 81-81 record in 2025 under veteran manager Bob Melvin to a staggering 65-96 entering Sunday, a record that puts them dead last in any other division save the historically awful AL West.
Look, it’s not all on Vitello. Their aged roster got absolutely hammered by injuries; Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader, Logan Webb, and many more were on the injured list. Plus, some players just underperformed. But Vitello didn’t exactly impress observers either. The team stumbled out of the gate with clubhouse incidents and just never found their footing. He even caught major flak for his handling, or lack thereof, of their Pride Night incident back in June.
This whole Vitello experiment was a massive risk for Posey, whose own tenure hasn’t been exactly sparkling since he replaced Farhan Zaidi in 2024. Now, heading into 2027, Vitello is absolutely on the hot seat, if he isn’t already roasting. The season is over, but the questions about the Giants’ direction and their manager are just beginning.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply