This is an absolute classic moment in baseball history, and perfect for 2024 culture.
Rafael Valenzuela, a manager in Minor League Baseball, completely lost his mind Wednesday night during a game between his Bowling Green Hot Rods and the Hickory Crawdads. And to top it off, he literally replaced an umpire — the home plate one to be exact — with a trash can to make a reference to his “trash” calls.
Hilarious!
Currently the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays‘ High-A affiliate, Valenzuela sparked up emotional violence in the fourth inning when his team was down by three runs. (RELATED: MiLB’s Durham Bulls Come Out With The Most Swaggalicious Jersey To Honor Hockey And The Carolina Hurricanes)
Valenzuela wasn’t happy with the ump’s strike-ball radar, and as a result, he started chirpin’ at him while in the dugout. Well, the umpire eventually had enough and started chirpin’ back at Valenzuela, ultimately handing him an ejection in the process.
Needless to say, Valenzuela was livid, and he let it be known.
Originally arguing, things escalated to Valenzuela kicking dirt on home plate to show his disrespect to the umpire, but things didn’t stop there.
Even more angry after the ump didn’t give him a reaction, Valenzuela then cranked things up by literally replacing the umpire by putting a trash can where he was calling the game. From there, the skipper left the game feeling satisfied.
WATCH:
Bowling Green manager Rafael Valenzuela just got ejected from tonight’s game and his reaction is a mix of sandbox play and chaos. pic.twitter.com/qjph9zoyl1
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) August 22, 2024
And this is why we love baseball, ladies and gentlemen.