That's a new one: Grounds crew 'ejected'

September 16th, 2021

We've seen players get ejected from baseball games. We've seen managers get tossed. We've even seen mascots get thrown out (see: Youppi, Montreal Expos mascot -- Aug. 23, 1989).

But until Wednesday night in Baltimore, it's hard to fathom anyone had ever seen an entire grounds crew be ejected by an umpire.

That's exactly what happened at Camden Yards during a Yankees-Orioles contest threatened by inclement weather. In the ninth inning, third-base umpire Tim Timmons saw the O's grounds crew sitting on and behind the tarp, ready to spring into action at the final out.

Not on Timmons' watch. He walked from his position behind third base all the way across the diamond while signaling that the grounds crew needed to leave the field -- every member. And they did, running off into the right-field corner.

Perhaps the Orioles wish they hadn't. Moments after the ejection, a 3-2 lead over New York became a 4-3 deficit on a two-run single by , which held up as the final score.