Royals Manager Tossed Before First Pitch in Bizarre Yankee Stadium Meltdown

Clear Facts

• Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected in the first inning before his team threw a single pitch against the New York Yankees
• Quatraro reportedly argued with umpires over an uncalled balk on Yankees pitcher Will Warren’s throw to second base
• The Royals went on to trail 10-0 by the sixth inning, dropping to a 7-14 start to the season

It was one of the shortest days at the office imaginable for Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro on Saturday. The skipper found himself ejected from the game against the New York Yankees in the first inning before his team had even thrown a single pitch.

The unusual sequence began after Kansas City wasted a leadoff double in the top of the first inning, which may have frustrated Quatraro. But it was what happened between innings that led to his early exit—he engaged in a heated exchange with a pair of umpires.

Speculation points to Quatraro arguing that Yankees starter Will Warren should have been called for a balk when he threw to second base without coming to a complete stop. The irony is that nobody was even thrown out on Warren’s pickoff attempt, making the argument—and subsequent ejection—completely moot.

All of this drama unfolded before Royals starter Noah Cameron had thrown his first pitch of the game.

As it turned out, Quatraro may have been fortunate not to witness the rest of the game in person. By the sixth inning, his team was getting pummeled 10-0 by the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The ejection came on the heels of a painful Friday night loss for Kansas City, when they surrendered a two-run home run to Ryan McMahon in the bottom of the eighth inning, falling 4-2.

The Royals are attempting to claw their way back into postseason contention after missing the playoffs last year. But with a likely 7-14 record by day’s end, their early-season struggles continue to mount, making an already difficult path back to October baseball even steeper.

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