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Caleb Ferguson's frustration appeared to boil over during the Cincinnati Reds' ugly 8-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
Ferguson had already surrendered a grand slam to Cal Raleigh during a disastrous seventh inning when an unfortunate collision involving second baseman Edwin Arroyo and umpire Bill Miller cost Cincinnati a potential out. Cameras then caught Ferguson appearing to direct a profane, personal rant toward Miller.
Jomboy Media shared the clip Tuesday morning and offered a rather unflattering interpretation of what Ferguson seemingly said.
"F-ing fat a–, get out of the way. Fat motherf-er," Ferguson appeared to say, according to Jomboy's reading of the video.
The New York Post first reported on Ferguson's apparent comments, which quickly began circulating across social media.
Miller did not eject Ferguson, and it was not immediately clear whether the umpire heard the alleged remarks.
What happened between Caleb Ferguson and Bill Miller?
The unusual sequence came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and Seattle leading 7-0. Mariners outfielder Victor Robles hit a slow ground ball toward the shortstop side of second base. Arroyo moved across the infield in an attempt to make the play, but Miller was positioned directly in his path.
Arroyo collided with the umpire as the ball rolled into the outfield. Robles reached safely, and the Mariners suddenly had runners at the corners instead of the inning being over. There was no umpire interference called because MLB rules generally treat an umpire as part of the field unless a specific form of interference occurs, such as an umpire hindering a catcher's throw or being struck by a batted ball before it passes an infielder other than the pitcher.
That did little to calm Ferguson.
The Reds reliever could be seen looking in Miller's direction while waiting for another baseball. Although there was no audio clear enough to confirm exactly what was said, lip readers on social media believed Ferguson delivered the profane insult highlighted by Jomboy Media.
Ferguson eventually struck out Luke Raley on three pitches to end the inning. That also ended the left-hander's night after he recorded two outs while allowing three hits, two earned runs and one walk.
Cal Raleigh grand slam made matters worse for Reds
The apparent outburst came at the end of an inning that had already gone about as badly as possible for Cincinnati. The Mariners entered the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead before breaking the game open with six runs against Pierce Johnson and Ferguson.
Ferguson entered with the Reds already in trouble. Cincinnati intentionally walked Dominic Canzone to load the bases and create a left-on-left matchup with Raleigh, but the decision immediately backfired. Raleigh launched a grand slam to give Seattle a 7-0 advantage.
"It's not a comfortable situation either way," Reds manager Terry Francona said, according to the New York Post. "Saying that, I'd do that every time. We have to try to keep them from scoring more."
Seattle added another run in the eighth inning to complete the 8-0 victory. The difficult appearance raised Ferguson's ERA to 3.98 through 20 1/3 innings this season. Cincinnati fell to 45-54 with the loss, leaving the club at the bottom of the National League Central standings.
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Will Caleb Ferguson face discipline from MLB?
It remains unknown whether MLB will fine or suspend Ferguson for the apparent comments. The lack of an ejection does not necessarily prevent the league from reviewing video of the incident and issuing discipline. MLB has fined or suspended players in the past for inappropriate comments directed toward umpires, even when the remarks did not lead to an immediate ejection.
However, there had been no announcement from MLB as of Tuesday morning. There is also an important distinction between what Ferguson appeared to say and what can be conclusively confirmed. The viral interpretation is based on lip-reading rather than clearly audible sound, and neither Ferguson nor Miller had publicly addressed the exchange.
What is undeniable is that Ferguson was furious after Miller accidentally blocked Arroyo's path to the ball. The collision produced one of the strangest singles of the night and, based on the video, possibly one of the most personal complaints an umpire will hear all season.
