The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to take a big step forward this year after making several notable additions to their roster over the offseason. At the same time, manager Don Kelly is embarking on his first full season in charge of the team. However, Kelly did not have to wait very long to receive his first ejection of the new Pirates campaign.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates faced the Cincinnati Reds after losing the opening game of the series the previous night. The Pirates carried a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Eugenio Suarez started off the inning for the Reds but immediately fell 0-2 behind on the count to lefty reliever Hunter Barco.
For the next pitch, Barco delivered a high fastball over the outside half of the strike zone for a clear ball. Suarez attempted to hit the pitch before deciding not to, but could not check his swing in time. The batter clearly thought it was strike three and started to walk to the dugout. But the first base umpire called it a successful check-swing on appeal from the home plate umpire.