One didn’t think that a veteran pitcher would do this. Not the guy who has been paid $20.5 million, and not in the middle of a critical game. And definitely not when the bullpen was running on fumes. But Tuesday night, complete chaos unfolded on top of the second inning at Fenway as the Boston Red Sox faced the New York Mets.
It all started with a pitch that looked like a strike, right down the pipe to Juan Soto. However, catcher Carlos Narvaez came up to stop Francisco Lindor’s steal attempt, and home plate umpire Mike Estabrook then called it a ball.
But then what happened next was unexpected— Walker Buehler lost it.
Walker F’n Buehler living up to his Nickname.
(The pitch should definitely have been a strike)
WFB was Ejected. pic.twitter.com/lluhVmzClp
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 20, 2025
Buehler came up to Estabrook, and lip readers don’t need to read much to catch the expletives that were flying from the mound. The Boston Red Sox ace stepped off the rubber and stormed towards the plate, crossing the lines that he was not supposed to. So he was ejected right then. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who came up to talk back to Estabrook, followed suit. This left the bullpen to clean up the mess.
Former MLB executive David Samson was not mad at Walker Buehler; he was honestly disappointed. He explained, “You go into an MLB game with the expectation that the most you want to have to go to your bullpen is for 12 outs. You really don’t want to have to go for 15 outs. But the real hope is you can go for nine—or even six in an ideal situation….Walker Buehler going into the game last night—Red Sox vs. Mets—clear as day, the Red Sox needed length. And Walker Buehler did something that he knows you can’t do, period.”
Samson was blunt that, “It’s like steroids—it’s automatic.” Leaving your position to argue balls and strikes is automatically going to get him ejected. According to him, everyone knows this, and even Buehler knew it and yet let the emotions get the better of him. Plus, it also seemed selfish because six pitchers had to follow Buehler in what turned out to be a shutout effort. And even Buehler knows he stepped out of line—he admitted it.
Boston Red Sox ace admits mistake after early ejection
Walker Buehler himself, though, understands that he put the team in a tough spot after being ejected. And after, thankfully, the bullpen carried the Boston Red Sox to a 2-0 victory over the Mets, the starting pitcher couldn’t help but give credit where it’s due. In an Instagram post, Buehler said it was a savage effort. “Bullpen full of savages!!! Brutal way to come back and horrendous spot to put those boys in but huge team win. I’ll be better! W!” he wrote in the caption.
Also, Buehler didn’t later shy away from admitting that what happened was not ideal. “Today’s game is a story of the bullpen. Obviously, I put them in a really tough spot on a day when we asked a lot of them (Monday). I’ve been in this league too long for that to happen.
For me personally, it’s one of those things where you’re very conflicted. You feel convicted in what I felt and saw (with the pitch). At the same time, this is a team game, and something I kind of let get out of hand. Personally, that’s the disappointing part of it.”
Buehler mentioned that he wasn’t comfortable talking about what the umpire did or did not do. However, all he knows is that he put the team in a position like that, and that’s the only thing he regrets. Boston Red Sox manager Cora, who himself followed suit after Buehler he took it upon himself to defend his starter. And that was his 18th career ejection! He also broke the dugout phone that runs to the bullpen. But post-game, he was much calmer and said hilariously, “I thought yesterday was a good day for us without me, so I decided to do it again.”
However, this response is hilarious now, since they won—if they hadn’t, the picture would have been different. Don’t you think so? Let us know what you think of the entire ordeal.
The post “It’s Like Steroids” – Red Sox’s $20.5M Ace Disappoints Ex-MLB Exec After Umpire’s Brutal Call Sparks Chaos vs. Mets appeared first on EssentiallySports.