Skip Schumaker's thoughts on Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s ejection

[Alex Krutchik]

Dane Myers picked up Jazz Chisholm Jr. in Tuesday's Marlins win after the center fielder's late-game ejection for arguing balls and strikes.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was watching from the top step of the Miami Marlins clubhouse Monday night when Dane Myers came to the plate in the 10th inning. With Bryan De La Cruz standing on second base with one out in a tied ball game against the Colorado Rockies, Myers hit a single through the right side of the infield just past a diving Elehuris Montero at first base. The walk-off hit snapped a seven-game losing streak for Miami.

The 28-year-old outfielder was a defensive replacement for Chisholm in center field after Chisholm was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the seventh inning. Down 5-0 at the time, home plate umpire Jansen Visconti called a first-pitch strike from Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner that was just below the strike zone. Five pitches later, on a 2-2 count, the right-handed Feltner threw a front-door slider to the lefty Jazz that barely touched the black on the inside part of the plate. Still tailing away at the time it crossed home, Chisholm took exception to the call and exchanged words with Visconti.

Visconti allowed Chisholm to say his peace as he walked back to the dugout, turning his head back towards home once more before getting back to the bench. After a warning from Visconti, Chisholm kept complaining, and he was ejected. As he left the dugout, Chisholm threw a piece of equipment on the field.

“Me and this umpire don't have a good history anyway,” Chisholm said after the game. “I just feel like it's every time with this guy.”

Chisholm only played in 97 games last year while dealing with multiple injuries. The prior season, he played 60. The emphasis this offseason was for the 26-year-old to stay healthy so he can contribute as much as possible. But it also means keeping his composure so he can stay in the game.

“I said it last year and I’m going to say it again: we need him in the game,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said.

This year, Chisholm has only missed one game. He is batting .239 with four home runs and a 104 OPS+. He has doubled his walk rate from 6.8 percent last year to 12.1 percent this year. His strikeout rate has also dropped three percent to 27.4.

“He’s a big part of our club and he’s been doing great,” Schumaker said. “Righties and lefties for me. Taking good at-bats against lefties…He’s been out early working. As far as early work, as far as the hitting side.”

But still, Schumaker was less than pleased with his starting center fielder missing key at-bats late in a game.

“The borderline pitches, he can’t get upset about it,” Schumaker said. "I know it’s tough, it’s in the moment. You never want to get punched out on a borderline pitch one way or the other. But I don’t want our culture or our identity to be that we're going to argue balls and strikes that are close pitches.”

This was the fourth ejection of Chisholm's young MLB career. All four have been related to borderline strikes called against him.

Chisholm’s spot came up again in the bottom of the ninth down 5-1. With bases loaded and one out, his replacement in Myers hit a two-RBI single up the middle to chip away at the Rockies’ lead.

“But I don't want one pitch to ruin a whole at-bat or a whole game where that at-bat could come up again, and it came up twice," Schumaker said. "Luckily, Dane had a really great game, and it kind of covered him. Good teammates cover up mistakes sometimes. I bet you he will say, ‘I made a mistake,’ I’m hoping. And you learn from it. Hopefully he learned from it, because we don’t need him out of the game.”

Chisholm said he thanked everyone in the clubhouse during the team’s quick postgame meeting: the bullpen, the position players, and of course, Dane Myers. 

“I just feel like a win like this could really get us going, man,” Chisholm said. “Like I told them after the game in our little win meeting that we have after every game: ‘That is how you play team baseball. That's how you go get it.’"

He then joked: “I mean, if I had to get thrown out every game, I’ll do it for the boys.”

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