MLB Twitter stunned by Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto's absurd ejection: "The ump needs to be suspended immediately"

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto didn't expect to be ejected for an incidental occurrence that sent shockwaves through the baseball community. The catcher leant back with his glove up, asking for the ball from the umpire, as he failed to notice that the pitcher already had a ball. When it came to his attention, he lowered his glove, causing the umpire's toss to land in the dirt.

Now that sounds like an innocent exchange with neither side really being at fault. So when the umpire instantly ejected J.T. Realmuto, the baseball world was stunned. Umpires have the authority to eject players at will, but it is seldom exercised in this fashion. Thankfully for Realmuto and the Phillies, it was a spring training game, but the principles of the issue still stand.

Twitter user "Tim and Friends" shared a video of the rather absurd incident on Twitter.

MLB fans are fed up with what they believe are constant errors from the officiating crews. Umpires have an extremely difficult job to do, which has been made even more challenging this season with new rules. However, incidents like this are rather egregious and more than a simple mistake. Even if the umpire thought J.T. Realmuto was trying to make him look bad, an instant ejection was an overreaction.

Fans will never hesitate to vocalize their frustration with the officials if they make a mistake. This adds to the pressure that these MLB umpires are already under. This is especially true when they are officiating a game involving popular teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers. Being perfect may not be humanly possible, but they need to be better than this.

In the minor leagues, we have witnessed the implementation of video-assisted umpires, who are able to quickly review all their calls. While this is still in the testing phase, it has seen some early success in correcting calls. However, handling ejections and managing the game is an entirely different skillset that video assistance cannot help with.

Philadelphia Phillies fans are already furious with the umpires, and the season hasn't even started yet.

Will the umpire be punished for his ejection of Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto?

World Series - Philadelphia Phillies v Houston Astros - Game Two

One of the biggest hurdles in seeking umpire improvement is the perceived lack of accountability. Anyone who witnessed the ejection of J.T. Realmuto knew it was wrong, but it is unlikely MLB will do anything about it.

The lack of accountability is what allows moments like this to happen time and time again, and it needs to be examined.