Umpire Emil Jimenez Ejects Nationals Outfielder Lane Thomas in Bizarre Incident

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas was ejected from Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers after umpire Emil Jimenez ruled that Thomas had said something to him after a called third strike.

Umpire Emil Jimenez's decision to eject Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas on Thursday drew widespread outrage after video evidence appeared to show that Thomas had not directed any words towards the umpire.

The incident occurred in the sixth inning of the Nationals' 7-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Thomas had just struck out on a questionable 2-2 pitch when he appeared to briefly look behind him towards Jimenez. Upon hearing the strike call, Thomas was heard shouting, "What?" in disbelief.

Umpire Emil Jimenez Ejects Nationals Outfielder Lane Thomas in Bizarre Incident

However, Jimenez did not hesitate to eject Thomas from the game, despite the fact that audio recordings later revealed that Thomas had not uttered a single word to him.

"Are you s----ing me? I didn’t look at you, it was at the ball!" Thomas could be heard shouting as he was escorted off the field.

Umpire Emil Jimenez Ejects Nationals Outfielder Lane Thomas in Bizarre Incident

The ejection marked Thomas' first of his MLB career and the 76th ejection of the regular season.

Ex-MLB player and current Nationals announcer Kevin Frandsen ripped the call during Thursday's broadcast.

Umpire Emil Jimenez Ejects Nationals Outfielder Lane Thomas in Bizarre Incident

"We literally have video and voice audio. He never said anything that—that’s just bad. That makes me even more mad," he said.

"That's just a bad job by Emil Jimenez right there," Frandsen also noted. "Look, he called it a strike. And he said [Thomas] directed something at him with a bad word. Lane doesn't say that word. So we have a liar."

The Nationals' five-game win streak ended with Thursday’s loss.

The ejection has sparked widespread criticism of Jimenez, a second-year MLB umpire. Many observers have questioned Jimenez's judgment and the rationale behind his decision to eject Thomas.

The incident has also raised concerns about the growing number of ejections in MLB this season. Through Thursday's games, there have been 76 ejections, which is the highest total at this point in the season since 2019.

The Nationals are expected to appeal Thomas' ejection. It remains to be seen whether the appeal will be successful, but the incident has undoubtedly cast a negative light on Jimenez and the umpiring profession as a whole.