Why was Tom Murphy ejected? Mariners catcher tossed from game vs Yankees

Tom Murphy is a catcher for the Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately, he was wrongfully ejected during Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees.

The incident took place in the sixth inning. Tom Murphy was at the plate facing Yankees reliever Michael King.

Murphy appeared to check his swing on a slider that hit the dirt. The Yankees appealed to first base umpire C.B. Bucknor, who called the pitch a strike after declaring that Murphy's swing crossed the plate. While the replay proved that the his assessment was wrong, Bucknor still defended his decision.

In protest of the call, Murphy stepped out of the batter's box and gave C.B. Bucknor a piece of his mind. Shortly after, home plate umpire Brian Walsh ejected Murphy from the game. Notably, this was just Walsh's second MLB game as an umpire. Mariners manager Scott Servais, who came out of the dugout to defend Murphy, was also ejected.

Murphy had this to say about the incident following the game:

"I'm still in complete shock over something like this happened." (via Yourvalley.net)

Yankees fan and podcast personality Gary Sheffield Jr. tweeted:

"Umpires absolutely stink. You blow the call, now you eject a player that's upset you changed his at bat? It's gotten out of control."

Umpire C.B. Bucknor has been heavily criticized by baseball fans for the call that led to Murphy's ejection. The Yankees won 10-2 and extended their winning streak to four games.

Tom Murphy's MLB career

New York Yankees v Seattle Mariners

Tom Murphy is an MLB veteran who has played for the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. He was selected by the Rockies in the third round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

Despite his impressive numbers in the minors, Murphy appeared in just 81 games for the Rockies between 2015-2019. He was sidelined for an extended period of time during the 2016 season due to an oblique strain injury. However, he has excelled since being acquired by the Mariners. Murphy has proved his worth by becoming a valuable member of the team.

The 32-year old has posted a .234 batting average with 41 home runs and 111 RBIs in his MLB career. He will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.