Cubs' Nico Hoerner Ejected for Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
Well, if you watched the Cubs game on Sunday against the Tigers, you probably caught the moment that had every fan in disbelief. I'm talking about that bizarre and honestly unnecessary ejection of Nico Hoerner — all because he told home plate umpire Derek Thomas something that was probably true.
Here’s the scene: it’s the top of the fifth inning, Cubs are down 2-0, runner on second, and Hoerner is up to bat. He’s in a 2-2 count. Jack Flaherty throws a 90 mph fastball — not just borderline, but clearly low and inside. A pitch that, on any other day, you'd expect to be called a ball. But Derek Thomas rings him up. Strike three. And what does Hoerner do? He turns around and says — calmly, by all accounts — “You’re having a really bad day.” Boom. Ejected.
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Now, I don’t know what Thomas thought he heard, but come on — ejecting a guy for that? That’s soft. Real soft. Hoerner didn’t drop any magic words, didn’t charge the ump, didn’t slam his bat — he just expressed an opinion, and not even rudely. That quick trigger made things worse, and manager Craig Counsell was out of the dugout in a flash. He stood up for his guy, got tossed too, and made sure Thomas heard every word before heading off.
After the game, Hoerner spoke to the media and confirmed what he said. “You don’t often get to say verbatim what you said to get ejected,” he joked. And you know what? That makes the situation even more ridiculous. Even the on-field mics picked up Hoerner clearly saying, “You’re having a really bad day so far.” That’s it. And for that, he gets booted in the middle of a tight game.
What’s worse is there's no accountability for Thomas. No review, no explanation, just two Cubs ejected and the game rolling on. The Tigers ended up winning 4-0, and honestly, they were the better team on the day. Flaherty was solid, nine strikeouts in six innings, and the Cubs bats were quiet. But you can’t help but feel like the game got tilted just a bit by that umpiring decision.
Fans on social media lit up with comparisons to Angel Hernandez — which tells you everything. It’s moments like this that keep fueling the debate for automated strike zones. Because when an umpire blows a call and then escalates it unnecessarily, it takes the spotlight away from the players and puts it on someone who shouldn’t be the center of attention.
Bad calls happen. But ejecting a player for calmly calling you out on it? That’s not a bad day. That’s a bad look.
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