Cubs manager David Ross was fed up by the end of Chicago's July 4 matchup with the Brewers.
A slew of questionable ball/strike calls, Dansby Swanson briefly getting called out with two strikes, an interference Ross felt should have been called, and the roof of American Family Field being closed by the umpires' judgment on a sunny day all resulted in Ross's ejection from the Cubs' 7-6 win in 11 innings.
After the game, a clearly frustrated Ross addressed the media. While he said things in general have "gotta be better," Ross did specifically call out the closing of the roof as particularly egregious.
"They were closing the roof to get rid of the shadows late," he told reporters. "It was really frustrating." When asked if closing the roof mid-game is allowed, Ross replied "I f— thought it was horses—t. I don't f— know."
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According to the MLB ground rules glossary, Ross does have a reason to gripe. Per the rulebook:
For ballparks with retractable roofs, the decision to begin the game with the roof open or closed rests with the home team during the regular season. The roof can be closed only for weather reasons if the game begins with the roof open. If the game begins with the roof closed, it can be reopened once if the home team determines the climatic environment has reached a level where fan comfort and enjoyment will be best served by opening the roof.
This was not helped by William Contreras seemingly getting away with running out of the basepath, which resulted in a conversation between Ross and plate umpire Erich Bacchus.
william contreras is out of the runner's lane but home plate ump erich bacchus didn't have a problem with it and it's not reviewable pic.twitter.com/u0ylnvR6VG
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 4, 2023
It wasn't until Swanson was called out on strike two, however, that both Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli and Ross were run from the game. Napoli went first, and Ross made sure he went after.
It just appears a comedy of errors led to Ross's frustration after the game. The Cubs still have two more games in Milwaukee to play. If every game is like their Fourth of July matchup, it could be a long series.
