The St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter has a knack for making salsa, fouling off two-strike pitches and arguing balls and strikes. Six times since 2014, he’s been ejected for overindulging in that last trait, most recently on April 1st of this year.
Do all those heave-hos make Carpenter a bad guy? Of course not. But is all that umbrage with umps admirable?
Fifty-six years ago, Stan Musial retired after 22 years, 3,026 games, and zero ejections. When Stan the Man died in 2013, obituaries made much of his gentlemanly demeanor. The Los Angeles Times eulogy mentioned that “Musial was known for his grace and sportsmanship — he was never ejected by an umpire during his career.