Happy Birthday, you're outta here! Counsell tossed over balk call

SEATTLE -- One of Matthew Boyd's specialities is his pick-off move -- a bit of deception that has caught plenty of baserunners by surprise over the years. It did not work on Friday and actually led to Cubs manager Craig Counsell being ejected -- on his birthday, no less.

In the fifth inning of the Cubs’ game against the Mariners, Boyd attempted a pick-off play with Seattle’s Brock Rodden on first base. Home-plate umpire Brennan Miller called a balk, eliciting a confused reaction from Boyd and some heated words from Counsell in the third-base dugout.

Between the fifth and sixth inning, Boyd walked over to Miller to talk things over and they chatted near the visitors’ dugout at T-Mobile Park. Counsell said something and Miller immediately turned to the manager and tossed him from the game. Counsell then moved to the field to air some more thoughts before exiting.

For Counsell, it marked his fifth ejection of the year, tying his most in any one season. He was also ejected five times in 2018 and ‘21 when he managed the Brewers.

The balk call was costly for Boyd, who allowed an RBI single two batters later to Randy Arozarena that put the Cubs in a 5-3 hole. The Cubs lefty also allowed four runs in the second inning, when Cal Raleigh launched a three-run homer and Brendan Donovan connected for a two-out, run-scoring single off Boyd.

Boyd currently has four pick-offs this season through 16 starts for the North Siders. Last year, the left-hander successfully converted 11 pick-offs, which set a single-season record for the Cubs. It also represented the most in one year for a pitcher in the Majors since Clayton Kershaw also had 11 in 2012.