Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was ejected from Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks after an intense confrontation with umpires over a missed balk call. Crow-Armstrong had to be held back by third base coach Quintin Berry and later manager Craig Counsell as he vociferously argued the non-call in the top of the sixth inning, with the game tied 0-0.
During a scoreless tie, Crow-Armstrong took a large lead from third base. Arizona pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez threw a quick pitch to batter Michael Busch. Crow-Armstrong asserted that Rodriguez committed a balk, which would have resulted in a run scoring for the Cubs. The umpire crew, however, did not make a call.
"I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play," Crow-Armstrong stated after the Cubs' 2-0 loss. "They're out there every day, just like we are. Their one job is to get calls right, and if they get it wrong, they're supposed to talk about it, figure it out, and get it right. And they didn't."
Following the game, crew chief Alfonso Márquez acknowledged that a balk should have been called. "We just didn’t see it," Márquez told MLB.com. "After looking at the video, it looked like he stepped off." Márquez added that any of the four umpires could have made the call.
Despite the heated exchange, no ejections occurred during the game. The Diamondbacks went on to score one run in the bottom of the sixth inning and added another in the eighth, ultimately winning the game 2-0. Crow-Armstrong registered one of Chicago's two hits in the contest.
The loss has tightened the National League Wild Card race, with the Cubs' lead now reduced to two games over the Philadelphia Phillies. Chicago has lost four of its last six games, while the Phillies have won eight of their last ten.