Kansas City Royals reliever Luke Weaver and Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Robbie Ray were ejected before the start of a regular season game, due to not returning to their respective dugouts after the national anthem.
On Sunday, Sept. 25, in a good old-fashioned Wild West showdown, the players remained stationed with their hands over their hearts and unwilling to budge. Captured by the TV broadcast, teammates supported the standoff by bringing water and sweat towels to each challenger.
“Looked across the line, both saw each other stay for an extra second, and then yeah, we’ve seen this thing done before,” Weaver said to MLB. “We’re trying to have fun. It’s the last home game, the fans are coming out loud and proud. The teammates are rallying behind me. It was just trying to have a little bit of fun.”
Weaver and Ray were teammates in Arizona during the 2019 and part of the 2020 seasons. Naturally, there was a competitive edge between the former teammates. They stood facing the center field, watching the American flag dance in the wind.
As the first pitch crept closer and closer, Royals starter Max Castillo led KC out of the dugout to begin warming up on the mound. Weaver and Ray hadn’t budged.
Eventually, home plate umpire Adrian Johnson began to wave both players off the field as the game was ready to start. No budge from the standoff, leading Johnson to be a little more aggressive and point at Weaver to get him off the field.
Weaver gave in before Ray, disappointed as he left the field and returned to the home dugout. After Weaver’s backing, managers were informed that both pitchers had been ejected from the game.
These events impacted KC the most out of the two teams due to Weaver being unavailable in the contest bullpen. He hadn’t pitched since the previous Sunday in Boston, looking like he would have gotten innings on the bump when Castillo couldn’t get out of the fifth inning and gave the Mariniers a nine-run lead.
In the postgame press conference, Royals manager Mike Matheny stated that there was still ample bullpen coverage for the end of the game.
The Royals ended up with hot bats late in the game, producing 11 runs in the sixth inning and winning in their last home game of the 2022 season.
