A day after signing a three-year extension to remain the general manager of the Washington Nationals, Mike Rizzo made headlines Sunday for a different reason. The GM was ejected from the game between the Nationals and the Atlanta Braves — from the second deck of Truist Park.
The game was halted in the seventh inning with Nationals first baseman Eric Thames at the plate.
Umpire crew chief Joe West is heard yelling “You’re out… We’ll wait for you” directing at Rizzo, who was up in the club level.
Moments later, either West or home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt yells to Braves manager Brian Snitker to “Brian, call security!”
Rizzo stood in plain sight with his hands on his hip before grabbing a swig of water. As West appeared to talk to someone in the Braves dugout, he is heard saying “He doesn’t have his mask on.”
Rizzo wasn’t wearing a mask but he was in the suite by himself. MLB COVID-19 protocol mandates players and club staff wear masks at all times, except for players on the field of play.
It’s presently unclear if Rizzo was ejected for not wearing the required mask or him arguing about the umpires officiating. The Nationals were trailing the Braves 7-1 at the time and went on to lose 10-3.
MLB released a statement on the bizarre sequence after the game. It stated the league has been in contact with the Nationals on what transpired leading to Rizzo’s ejection.
" … We will expect Joe West’s crew to provide a full account of their perspective, and we will follow up with them accordingly.”— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) September 6, 2020
This season, the Nationals’ ace Stephen Strasburg was ejected while sitting in the stands. Anibal Sanchez got asked to leave the stands but not ejected and now Rizzo. It’s been a weird 2020 season.
