“God Bless America” has become a precious tradition at Sunday baseball games, and Rangers manager Skip Schumaker and umpire Todd Tichenor did their part in recognizing that fact over the weekend.
With the game tied 3-3, Schumaker went onto the field in between the top and the bottom of the seventh inning to argue a called strike to punch out Nicky Lopez on a Bryan Abreu low-to-the-ground slider with a full count. Schumaker was in the midst of arguing with Tichenor when the music began.
Both men paused their heated exchange to take off their caps and face the flag for the duration of the song.
As soon as “God Bless America” ended, the two began squabbling once again before Tichenor tossed Schumaker from the game as “Deep in the Heart of Texas” — the Astros’ traditional seventh inning song — played.
It was the first ejection of Schumaker’s tenure as Rangers manager, and perhaps one of the more patriotic ejections baseball has ever seen.
At the time, the Rangers were in a difficult spot with no challenges remaining, as Elias Diaz used them both in the first three innings of the contest. The Rangers would go on to lose 7-3, allowing the Astros to complete the weekend sweep of their in-state rivals.
“We had a couple of challenges that didn’t go our way, so we didn’t have any left,” Schumaker said postgame.
“Todd [Tichenor] has been a really good umpire for a long time. But that moment is a big call, a crucial call that you just gotta get right.”
The Rangers fell to 55-57 on the season following their 1-5 road trip.
The Astros now lead the Rangers by 2.5 games in the AL West with the Mariners a half-game behind Texas.
