Why was Christian Walker ejected? Arizona Diamondbacks infielder thrown out by umpire for surprising reason

Christian Walker's ejection from the game against the San Francisco Giants is the latest in the MLB umpires saga that has left fans bemused.

The Arizona Diamondbacks infielder was tossed from the game for apparently just clapping at the umpires' decisions.

In the sixth inning, Walker's teammate Nick Ahmed was at the box and pulled back from swinging on a 2-1 pitch at the last second. The call was appealed to first base umpire Ramon De Jesus who called it a ball as Ahmed had pulled back in time.

Christian Walker proceeded to clap the call and was immediately removed from the game by home plate umpire Alfonso Márquez to everyone's surprise.

The justification given by Marquez was that the claps were insulting and sarcastic in nature. A similar incident occurred in the fifth inning when Walker himself was called strike on a pitch that he apparently pulled back from.

Washington Nationals v Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-backs first baseman was visibly upset at the call and kept going at the umpires from the dugout. However, when they finally called Ahmed's swing in their favor - his clap was in appreciation. That wasn't taken lightly by the umpires whose decision stood after protests from the Diamondbacks.

Christian Walker incident yet another umpire howler

Walker's episode puts further doubts in the mind of fans who have been frustrated with umpiring calls against their teams. There has been a clear indication that fans would rather have an automated strike-calling system that the MLB is partially looking to introduce next season.

If not on a full-time approach, a decision review system could be introduced that gives managers the right to challenge certain calls by the umpires, a practice commonly seen in other sports.