Why Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected from Monday’s game against Giants
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected from Monday night’s road win against the San Francisco Giants.
Royals pinch-runner Dairon Blanco was picked off while attempting to steal second base in the seventh inning. San Francisco’s starting pitcher, Robbie Ray, caught Blanco leaning toward the bag and threw over to first as Blanco broke to second.
Blanco was tagged out by Giants shortstop Willy Adames. However, it appeared that Adames had blocked Blanco’s path to the bag at second base.
Quatraro stormed from the dugout. He pleaded his case to second base umpire Jordan Baker, who had made the call. It didn’t take long for Baker to toss Quatraro from the game.
“I thought Willy had his knee down before he had the ball,” Quatraro said after the game, which the Royals won 3-1. “And I thought it was in front of the base.”
An inning earlier, in the sixth, Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic saw his no-hit bid come to an end when a hard liner — misplayed by Michael Massey at second base — was changed from an error to a hit.
The ejection was Quatraro’s first of the season and sixth of his career. The KC manager took exception to how a Major League Baseball rule on obstruction was interpreted on the play.
He said obstruction should’ve been called by the umpires.
“If you block the bag before you have the ball,” Quatraro said, “it should be called obstruction.”
Quatraro might’ve had a case. In the official MLB rule book, obstruction is deemed an “act by a fielder, who is not in possession of the ball or in the process of fielding it, that impedes the baserunner’s progress.”
It appeared that Adames had his knee down in front of the bag as Blanco slid into the base. No obstruction was called, and that’s what irked the manager.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Why Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected from Monday’s game against Giants."
