Merrill Kelly (37, Arizona Diamondbacks), regarded as the best among KBO reverse export players, was ejected after arguing with the umpire while being pulled from the game. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was also ejected.

On the 9th (Korean time), Kelly started in a home game against the Baltimore Orioles at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in Major League Baseball 2025, pitching 6 innings and allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 hit by pitch while striking out 4, leading Arizona to a 4-3 victory.

After facing 9 hits (3 home runs), 3 walks, and allowing 9 runs in 3⅔ innings against the New York Yankees on the 4th, Kelly earned his second win of the season (2-1) and lowered his earned run average from 10.00 to 7.20.

Although he allowed 2 runs from the start of the first inning, he recorded 12 consecutive outs until there were 2 outs in the 5th inning, holding the Baltimore lineup scoreless until the 6th. He used 6 types of pitches with a total of 89 pitches, including 23 changeups, 20 cutters, 18 four-seam fastballs, 14 sinkers, 9 curves, and 5 sliders, with a maximum velocity of 94 miles per hour (151.3 km/h).

However, during the process of leaving the mound in the 7th inning, he got into a confrontation with the umpire. After giving up a double to the leadoff batter Cedric Mullins, he walked Tyler O'Neill, and a bad call occurred. With a ball count of 2 balls and 2 strikes, O'Neill turned to swing at Kelly's sixth pitch, a low outside slider, but he stopped and was called a ball. On the TV replay, O'Neill's bat was still well past the ball's head.

However, first base umpire Laz Diaz ruled it no swing, and Kelly showed his dissatisfaction with a gesture. Ultimately, Kelly allowed a walk when his last 7th pitch changeup went out of the zone, leading him to leave the mound. The situation that should have resulted in a strikeout with 1 out and 1 on instead turned into no outs with runners on 1st and 2nd base, causing significant disappointment.

After issuing the walk, Kelly looked back at Diaz and yelled at him. Even while throwing the ball to manager Lovullo and leaving the mound, he continued to argue with Diaz. Although he was already being pulled from the game, Diaz ordered Kelly's ejection, and an irate Lovullo also got ejected after protesting vigorously.

According to local reports such as "Arizona Central," Kelly noted after the game, "I expressed my opinion at the field, so I will leave it at that. The check-swing footage will tell everything," trying to hold back his words. Diaz stated, "Kelly continued talking while leaving the mound, looking back. I warned him to stop, but he didn't, so I ejected him right there."

Kelly's ejection was his second since May 16, 2023, against the Oakland Athletics. During that game, Kelly and manager Lovullo were also ejected during the 8th-inning pullout, which was also triggered by a check-swing call. Against Jordan Diaz in the 8th, Kelly got an empty swing on the 4th pitch, an outside slider, but first base umpire Brock Boler ruled it a ball. At that time, Lovullo expressed dissatisfaction from the dugout and was ejected.

If the swing call had been made correctly, it should have been a swinging Samjin, but after throwing 2 more pitches, Kelly allowed a walk. After giving up a hit to the next batter, Nick Allen, and being pulled with no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, Kelly expressed his dissatisfaction towards Boler and was ejected for the first time in his career. At that time, Kelly publicly criticized, "It was a terrible call. It was clearly a swing. I watched it again on video, and it was a swing. The umpire should have seen it properly."

Two years later, another check swing led to Kelly's ejection. Although the order changed, both Kelly and manager Lovullo received ejection orders and were sent off the field. Lovullo said, "Whenever Kelly gets ejected, I also get ejected. We laughed about it while talking."

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