Chicago Cubs manager David Ross got an early start to his All-Star break, getting ejected from the Cubs’ game against the Yankees on Sunday and going into a profanity-laced tirade at home plate ump Alex MacKay.
Barely into the bottom of the first, Ross appeared to disagree with a call from the dugout on a pitch from Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks, which quickly got the Cubs’ manager tossed.
Ross promptly came out to give MacKay a piece of his mind, which was caught on the game broadcast.
“You gotta do better,” mics picked up Ross telling MacKay as he got into the umpire’s face. “You’ve got one god— game before you get a break and you’re that f–king bad already?”
It appeared that Ross uttered another expletive at the umpire before turning to exit the field, but the Yankees broadcast crew was talking over the field mic, making it hard to hear what else Ross was saying.
Sunday was Ross’ fourth ejection of the season and the 14th of his career while managing the Cubs. He is quickly giving Yankees manager Aaron Boone a run for his money with his five ejections through the first half of the MLB calendar.
The Cubs manager laid into the officiating crew in Milwaukee last week for the way the game was called and the decision to close the roof in the middle of the game.
Ross very colorfully expressed his disappointment when he spoke with reporters after the game.
“Just a lot of bulls–t that went on today that just was really frustrating,” he told the media.
Sunday’s incident came after Ross disapproved of a called ball on a 1-0 pitch to Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Ross thought the ball caught the strike zone, but MacKay called the pitch a ball that set off Ross.
However, a look at MLB’s game tracker quickly revealed that MacKay’s call had been correct and the YES broadcast noted it as well as the scene was unfolding.
The game was scoreless at the time Ross got himself tossed, Chicago ended the first half of the season on a high note over the Bronx Bombers with a 7-4 victory on Sunday’s series finale.