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Edwin Encarnacion and John Gibbons tossed in first inning on Canada Day.

This isn't usually how Canadians celebrate independence, I'm told.

By Matt Schlichting
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Update: Russell Martin has now been ejected in the bottom of the 13th for arguing his check swing.

The Holiday Weekend in Canada isn't off to a good start for the Toronto Blue Jays. After losing last night's contest to the Cleveland Indians, Edwin Encarnacion earned an ejection in the bottom of the first inning for arguing balls  strikes. Before we get into the ensuing scuffle, let's take a look at the pitch and see if Edwin had a reason to complain. We're looking at pitch six, as the count was full:

What really is a strike, when we get down to it? When we speak of a pitch that should be swung at by the batter for the defense of the plate, what do we --

Rule 2.00: The Strike Zone. The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap.

Right.

As we all know, hitters cannot argue balls and strikes. Technically, they're not even allowed to politely inquire as to the reasoning behind a call. Encarnacion slammed his bat to the ground, then bumped chests with the umpire, Vic Carapazza, after being ejected. I'm not sure if that's going to help the Jay's cause over the course of the weekend, as he may be fined and miss additional time.

Meanwhile, John Gibbons must have said something particularly nasty, since Carapazza tossed him from the game almost immediately after he left the bench. This is the sixth time an umpire tossed him this season. He's missed three additional games due to ejection, according to Jordan Bastian.

It made for an eventful bottom of the first for Tomlin, who put up a first inning line that one can't argue with:

Since the ordeal, fans in the Rogers Center are continuing to...voice their displeasure with Carapazza command of the zone. On twitter, the takes are equally hot. I have some sympathy for them, but you can't get tossed in the first inning of your country's independence day.

For more on this game, keep an eye on the Game Thread here at Let's Go Tribe!

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