Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo explains his rare ejection (VIDEO)

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo doesn’t exactly have the reputation of being an animated bench boss like many of his colleagues around Major League Baseball.

But Montoyo showed a rare bit of flair in Saturday’s contest against the Oakland A’s, picking up an ejection after arguing third strike call in the 8th inning against Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

A very animated Charlie Montoyo gets tossed for arguing this strike 3 call 🤔

What are your thoughts on the umpiring this season? pic.twitter.com/gpdhn3OgJh

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) April 16, 2022

It was just his fifth ejection in four seasons as Blue Jays manager. Montoyo’s departures pale in comparison to predecessor John Gibbons, who was tossed 53 times across 11 seasons (in two stints) as Jays manager.

“You’ve got to give our guys credit. We’re a team that don’t really argue that much,” Montoyo said postgame, after Toronto ended up losing 7-5.

Pitches 2, 3 and 6 were called strikes on Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, unusually mad for him, got tossed by Jeff Nelson for arguing right after. pic.twitter.com/K0YfF6Q8KR

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) April 16, 2022

Twitter account Umpire Scorecards showed that Montoyo wasn’t the only person questioning home plate umpire Jeff Nelson’s calls, giving him just a 86% accuracy rating on the day, below the league average of 94%.

Umpire: Jeff Nelson
Final: Athletics 7, Blue Jays 5#DrumTogether // #NextLevel#OAKvsTOR // #TORvsOAK pic.twitter.com/ABD1T52ebn

— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) April 17, 2022

“Give our hitters credit for not arguing. I didn’t see every pitch because I’m on the sidelines, but I just had an idea,” Montoyo added. “I’m watching the game, and I feel like I have to protect my players.”

The Jays and A’s are right back at it today, with first pitch set at the Rogers Centre for 1:37 pm ET.