During the third inning of the New York Mets’ May 20 road game against the Boston Red Sox, Boston pitcher Walker Buehler was ejected after arguing with the home plate umpire Mike Estabrook after several decisions he disagreed with.
The first one came when Mets slugger Francisco Lindor was at the plate. Buehler threw a breaking ball that hit Lindor on the back foot. As Lindor was trotting to first base, Buehler made it known to Estabrook that he thought Lindor leaned into the pitch.
Lindor stole second base two pitches later, while Juan Soto was at the dish. Buehler threw a fastball that was clearly in the strike zone when Lindor stole, but Estabrook called it a ball. This set Buehler off to the point where he got ejected from the game, which led to Boston manager Alex Cora also getting tossed.
While Buehler was arguing, Lindor could be seen beckoning for him to get ejected, which was shown on the broadcast. This whole sequence was captured in an X post that has since gone viral on social media.
On May 21, Buehler took to X to send a scathing message Lindor’s way, as he wrote, “I wouldn’t want me out there either. Sad thing is the BULLPEN is full of f****** animals. Tough choice.”
It will be interesting to see how this brewing feud manifests during the series finale on May 21 and whether it will escalate into something more than mere words on social media.
Perhaps this extracurricular activity will prompt the Mets to wake up on offense, where they have been stagnant for much of the past week.
