There are some things you just don't do in baseball. Whether it's throwing at a batter's head, talking about an ongoing no-hitter or violating any of the other endless unwritten rules of baseball, actions like these are simply not tolerated.
In a Division III matchup over the weekend between Lynchburg and Bridgewater, one player was ejected immediately for something we should probably add to that list of unwritten rules: intentionally stepping on a player's ankle. Or, at least, that's what the field umpire believed he did, and the video is pretty damning.
Hitter gets ejected immediately for stepping on the first baseman's ankle pic.twitter.com/U5lzekWVXE
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 7, 2023
University of Lynchburg was leading Bridgewater College 7-1 in the eighth inning on Sunday, during the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament. That's when BC's Brett Tharp, who's also a member of the school's football team, stepped up to the plate. Tharp hit a routine ground ball to the third baseman, who tossed it over to Lynchburg first baseman Josh Gjormand, who had stretched his legs nearly into a split to make the catch.
An instant later, Tharp steps on Gjormand's ankle instead of the bag, and it's obvious Gjormand is in a ton of pain. It's a move some observers called "bush league" and is one you can't defend if you're the runner. There's the bag and there's the ankle — and it's pretty clear he could've avoided one to step where he should have.
The field umpire immediately ejected Tharp, as the broadcaster mentions. Fans watching were apparently appalled as well.
Video with replay. pic.twitter.com/sAiaaZ2q9t
— Travis Cash (@TravisCash88) May 7, 2023
Lynchburg won the game, 11-1, but the real story here is the moment leading up to the ejection. Hopefully, Tharp realizes what he did is one of those things that should never be done in baseball.
