J.P. Crawford wasn’t having it.
With the Mariners trailing the Guardians by three runs in the top of the fifth inning Wednesday, Crawford was called out on a strike three pitch well above the zone — stranding a runner at second base.
The irate shortstop tossed his helmet down and immediately put his finger in the face of home plate umpire Doug Eddings, getting ejected via a quick hook.
Mariners manager Scott Servais and third base coach Manny Acta then helped defuse the situation by moving Crawford away from Eddings.
Servais, though, took Crawford’s place disputed both the call and ejection, only to be promptly removed himself.
The demonstrative sequence seemed to have validity.
According to @umpstrikezone on X, the pitch to Crawford was 0.3 inches from the zone.
The ejection was the third of Crawford’s career and first since August 2022, per Retrosheet.
Losing both Crawford and Servais didn’t help the Mariners’ cause, with Seattle falling to Cleveland, 8-0.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee diced up Seattle’s lineup, posting a gaudy 12 strikeouts while allowing just three hits in six shutout innings.
However, some relief was found via the efforts of social media.
X user @thejagepage ordered a Domino’s pan pizza to Progressive Field on behalf of Crawford, and the shortstop successfully received it.
Despite Wednesday’s setback, the Mariners have enjoyed a resurgent season, leading the AL West by nine games at 44-32.
That success has come despite being without Crawford for a long stretch, with the shortstop missed 24 games with an oblique injury.
In his 51 games, Crawford hasn’t performed as well as in recent years.
His average is down 61 points from 2023, and his weighted runs created plus (wRC+) has dipped from 134 to a below-average 98.
The good news is that Crawford’s defense has returned to form, with his one defensive run saved much higher than his minus-seven across 2022 and ’23.
Seattle wraps up the third game of its series in Cleveland on Thursday in a rubber match between two division leaders.
