Giants third-base coach Ron Wotus got ejected from Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader before the first pitch even happened, all thanks to umpire Alan Porter. This wasn’t some random beef, either. Porter had just tossed Giants manager Tony Vitello less than 24 hours earlier, and it sure looks like Wotus wasn’t about to let yesterday’s nonsense slide without a word.
Friday’s Meltdown Set The Stage
What a mess Friday night was. The Giants dropped a 10-6 game to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it felt like the umps were just asking for trouble. It all boiled over during a five-run D-backs third inning. Nolan Arenado hit a chopper down the third-base line, and even though it landed in foul territory way past the infield, third-base umpire Alex MacKay called it fair. He thought it went over the bag, but the kicker? That play couldn’t even be reviewed. It was Tim Tawa’s subsequent three-run homer that finally sent Vitello over the edge. After that inning, with a 2-1 lead flipped to a 6-2 deficit, Vitello gave Porter an earful from the dugout, arguing about Arenado’s grounder and gesturing like crazy that it was far foul. That was Vitello’s second ejection in three days, and his fifth of the season as a rookie skipper.
The Fallout Continues, And Nobody’s Surprised
But wait, there was more. Porter also made another controversial call during Lars Nootbaar’s at-bat earlier in that chaotic third inning, denying the Giants a strikeout. And if you thought it was just Vitello, you were wrong. Second-base umpire Roberto Ortiz also booted star pitcher Logan Webb from the dugout. Webb was absolutely heated, frustrated about the calls and the cascade of runs the D-backs tagged rookie starter Blade Tidwell for. Webb even admitted, “I was hot before Tony was, and I think I got him hot, and then it kind of escalated from there.” With Porter back as the third-base umpire for Game 1 on Saturday, Wotus clearly felt the need to share his feelings, probably about all that went down on Friday night.
So here we are, already down a coach before Game 1 even begins. With the D-backs in town for a doubleheader, this kind of frustration isn’t going away quickly. This team needs to find a way to channel that anger into some wins.
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.
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