It was a Tuesday night in Miami, May 20, 2014, and the air at Marlins Park felt heavy. Not just from the humidity, but from the kind of frustration that builds up when a team feels like they’re fighting the guys in the blue shirts as much as the guys in the other dugout.
The Marlins were trailing the Phillies 6-3. It was the bottom of the sixth.
Miami shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria stood at the plate with a runner on and one out. On a 1-2 count, Phillies pitcher Jake Diekman fired a fastball. Hechavarria took it. Home-plate umpire Will Little’s arm went up—strike three.
If you watch the replay now, the pitch looks high and inside. Honestly, it was a borderline call at best. But for Mike Redmond, it was the absolute last straw.
The Night Mike Redmond Lost His Cool
Redmond wasn't exactly known for being a volcanic personality. As a former big-league catcher, he usually had that steady, game-caller temperament. But something snapped that night.
He didn't just walk out to argue; he exploded.
He charged out of the dugout, screaming before he even reached the dirt. Little didn't hesitate—he tossed Redmond immediately. That only made it worse. Redmond got right in Little’s face, letting out a barrage of words that required some pretty creative lip-reading from the TV crew.
Then came the highlight-reel moment. Redmond started scuffing the dirt in the batter’s box, literally kicking it toward Little like a kid having a tantrum on the playground.
"I've never seen it that explosive," first baseman Garrett Jones said after the game. It was Redmond’s first ejection of the 2014 season, but it wouldn't be his last.
Why the Frustration?
To understand why Mike Redmond was so heated, you've gotta look at the week leading up to that game. The Marlins had just come off a rough West Coast road trip where calls seemingly weren't going their way.
Specifically, Redmond pointed to a game in San Francisco where Hunter Pence was credited with a foul ball on a play that replay showed should have been an out. Because it was an "infield fair-foul" call, it wasn't reviewable back then.
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"I tried to be patient," Redmond told reporters later. "I'd just seen enough. It was kind of building up from that road trip."
Basically, the Hechavarria strikeout wasn't just about one pitch. It was the culmination of days of perceived slights. For a manager, sometimes you get ejected not just because you’re mad, but because you need to show your players that you're willing to go to war for them.
The 2014 Rule 7.13 Drama
While the May 20 ejection was the most "explosive," Redmond’s most famous ejection of 2014 actually happened later that summer, on July 31, against the Cincinnati Reds.
This one was different. It involved the newly implemented Rule 7.13—the "home-plate collision" rule.
Zack Cozart of the Reds was called out at home after a perfect throw from Giancarlo Stanton. It was a beautiful baseball play. But the Reds challenged, and after a six-minute review, the folks in New York overturned it. They ruled that Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis had blocked the plate without the ball.
Redmond went nuclear. He threw his hat, he kicked his hat, and he basically told the umpires that the rule was "a joke."
He was a catcher for 13 seasons. He took hits at the plate his whole career. Seeing a game decided on a technicality—when the runner was out by 15 feet—felt like an insult to the sport he grew up playing.
Actionable Insights: Lessons from the Dirt
If you’re a coach, a manager, or even just a fan, Redmond's 2014 season is a masterclass in "defending your house." Here is how you can apply that mindset:
- Know when to take the hit. Redmond didn't get tossed every night. He waited until his team was demoralized and needed a spark.
- The "Accountability" Factor. Players like Derek Dietrich and Garrett Jones noted that seeing their manager get fired up actually energized them. If you’re a leader, sometimes a public display of support matters more than the actual argument.
- Perspective on Progress. Rules like 7.13 were new and messy in 2014. Redmond’s rage was a reflection of the "old school" clashing with the "new school." In any field, new systems will have bugs—expecting them helps you manage your reaction.
If you ever find yourself looking up "mlb.com mike redmond ejected 2014," you're usually looking for that clip of him kicking dirt. But the real story is a manager who was tired of seeing his team get the short end of the stick and finally decided to do something loud about it.
To see how these rules have evolved since Redmond's outbursts, you can check the official MLB Rulebook for the current standing on plate collisions and the expanded use of Statcast in determining strike zones today.