Watch: Pirates hitting coach gets ejected after just 3 pitches for arguing called strikes on Andrew McCutchen

Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen's first at-bat proved to be more than eventful. Against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday night, the game produced an ejection after just three pitches when Pittsburgh's hitting coach Andy Haines took exception to a couple of called strikes from the home-plate umpire.

He subsequently began arguing with him from the bench, for which he was eventually tossed out of the game. The incident involving McCutchen and Haines was shared online in a short clip posted by Talkin' Baseball from Jomboy Media on X/Twitter.

Watch the incident involving Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines getting ejected below:

The Houston Astros hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates for the final meeting of their three-game series. Framber Valdez was on the mound for the Astros, while McCutchen would lead off the Pirates lineup.

The game began with a ball from Framber Valdez, followed by a two-seam fastball slightly low and away from the strike zone that McCutchen did not swing at. However, the home plate umpire, Nestor Ceja, ruled it a strike even though the television graphic showed that it barely touched the zone.

On the next pitch, Valdez delivered a two-seamer once again, this time toward the inner third of the plate, but the TV graphic once again depicted it to be just below the strike zone. McCutchen questioned Ceja's call, but Haines felt stronger measures were needed to rectify the situation.

Haines began arguing with Ceja from the Pirates dugout, repeating to him that the pitch was low and it should have been judged as a ball. Ceja cautioned him first to avoid risking an ejection, but his words had no effect as the hitting coach continued barking at him. Haines was subsequently tossed out by the home-plate umpire just three pitches into the contest.

Haines then proceeded towards the batter's box and offered Nestor Ceja a few heated words. Pirates manager Derek Shelton and crew chief Todd Tichenor walked out to quickly diffuse the situation from escalating any further. The game resumed with McCutchen ending the first at-bat by striking out swinging.

Andrew McCutchen and Pirates knocking on a playoff berth

Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to earning a playoff berth (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Following the ejection within the opening few minutes of the game, the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to surge into a 4-0 lead at the top of the second inning. But the Astros managed to claw back into the game while their pitchers threw seven consecutive shutout innings to eke out a 5-4 win on the night.

Still, the Pirates claimed the series after winning their first couple of games on their trip to Houston. Pittsburgh has a 55-53 record for the season so far, which puts them in third place in the NL Central standings. However, the Pirates have a 13-5 record since July 8 and currently lie just two games behind the final Wild Card berth.

McCutchen and Co. return home to PNC Park for a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning on Friday.