Umpire Dan Bellino, who was involved in an incident with Madison Bumgarner earlier this week that led to the Diamondbacks star being ejected, has issued an apology.
“I would like to address my actions on May 4th involving Madison Bumgarner. When I began my MLB career almost 15 years ago, I received some good advice. I was told to umpire every game as if my children were sitting in the front row,” Bellino said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “I fell short of those expectations this week. While I can’t go back and change what happened, I take full accountability. I will learn from this incident, and I sincerely apologize.”
The incident occurred during a game between the Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins on Wednesday. After the first inning, Bellino approached Bumgarner to check his hand for foreign substances — something that has become routine since last season as MLB tries to crackdown on pitchers using “sticky stuff” to impact their grip on the ball. However, while these checks are typically quick and unintrusive, Bellino spent longer than normal rubbing Bumgarner’s hand. Eventually, Bumgarner spoke up and after an exchange of words, Bellino ejected the three-time World Series champion.
After the game, Bellino told a pool reporter that Bumgarner was ejected for using profanity and that the sticky-stuff check was not a factor in the decision. Bumgarner disagreed when speaking to reporters after the game.
“You guys have seen the video,” Bumgarner said. “I don’t know if I could say anything that would make the situation better.”
Rogers reports, citing a source, that Bellino was disciplined following the incident. Bumgarner did not receive any further punishment from MLB.
