Blue Jays manager John Schneider has come to embody the fire, fuel, and passion that have gripped several MLB managers as the season moves into the latter half of April. The level of frustration that builds and eventually boils over shows that, despite increased transparency through systems like ABS and expanded challenges, managers are still getting ejected.
Coming into the season, there was a divide between traditionalists and those pushing for technology and transparency. Many in the conventional wisdom camp believed that the cinematic arguments of managers like Earl Weaver or Lou Piniella had become relics of the past. Instead, early in the 2026 season, ejections are happening at a similar rate, if not more frequently, than before.
What this suggests is simple: ejections, and the heated exchanges that lead to them, are more often than not, just emphatic attempts to rally a team, shake them out of a poor performance, and stop a downward spiral. A look at recent examples makes that connection clear.
1. Twins manager Derek Shelton, 8–6 loss to Baltimore
In the ninth inning of a deciding game at Camden Yards, Shelton argued the timing of an ABS challenge by closer Ryan Helsley. The original ball call was overturned to a strike, marking Baltimore’s second successful challenge of the inning.
Shelton’s frustration came from several angles. First, with his team down two runs, every pitch carried weight as Minnesota tried to mount a comeback. Second, the overturned calls added to growing concerns about umpire consistency behind the plate. Finally, Shelton appeared to have a valid argument that Helsley exceeded the allowed window to initiate the challenge.
