Twins' Rocco Baldelli to umpire before 11th inning ejection: ‘You f***ed it up!’
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 14: Manager Rocco Baldelli #5 of the Minnesota Twins argues with home plate umpire John Bacon #70 after he was ejected from the game against the Detroit Tigers in the eleventh inning at Target Field on August 14, 2025 ((Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Twins lost to the Detroit Tigers in 11 innings Thursday night at Target Field, but Rocco Baldelli had to watch the end of the game from the clubhouse.
Rocco Baldelli ejected
The backstory:
The Twins trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning when Ryan Jeffers struck out for the first out of the inning. Or did he? Replays showed he made contact with the ball, and it hit the ground, which should’ve been a foul ball. On the TV broadcast, you can clearly hear the foul tip and ball hitting the ground.
Jeffers immediately motioned as if the ball hit the ground. Baldelli came out of the dugout and engaged the home plate umpire because he wouldn’t check the ball for dirt or a scuff. The play is not reviewable, so the home plate umpire’s call stood.
"No! that’s not the rule. No f***ing way, you f***ed it up," Baldelli screamed.
Those magic words got Baldelli his fourth ejection of the season, and 25th of his managerial career.
He got his money’s worth before leaving the field. Baldelli went to home plate and kicked some dirt around, then flung his cap in the air before going into the clubhouse.
Twins back home after Pohlad announcement
What we know:
The Twins returned to Target Field after news that the Pohlad family is no longer selling the team, after they said last October the franchise was up for sale. Instead, they’re bringing on two groups of investors that have not yet publicly been named.
An already frustrated fan base got even angrier after the news. One fan that has been banned from Target Field for a year told FOX 9, "Boycott the team." During the Twins.TV postgame show, fans could be heard loudly in the background yelling, "Sell the team!"