Anthem standoff goes awry as Weaver, Ray get tossed
KANSAS CITY -- A national anthem standoff between two former teammates went awry Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium when both were ejected prior to first pitch of the Mariners-Royals series finale -- and that was only the start of what would be a wild 13-12 Royals win.
Royals reliever Luke Weaver and Mariners starter Robbie Ray -- who were teammates in Arizona for 2019 and part of 2020 -- stayed put after the national anthem in a lighthearted showdown. They remained stationed outside of their respective dugouts, hand over heart, unwilling to budge. Their teammates sent over help from time to time with water, sweat towels and even a Theragun to massage their aching muscles.
âIt wasnât anything planned,â Weaver said. âLooked across the line, both saw each other stay for an extra second, and then yeah, weâve seen this thing done before. Weâre trying to have fun. Itâs the last home game, the fans are coming out loud and proud. The teammates are rallying behind me. It was just trying to have a little bit of fun.â
Weaver and Ray stood staring into right field at the American flag whipping in the wind, unrelenting except for a smirk or two in the otherâs direction.
First pitch crept closer; the umpiring crew convened at home plate, and the lineup cards were delivered. Royals starter Max Castillo led his team out of the dugout and began warming up, but Weaver and Ray stayed standing.
Finally, home plate umpire Adrian Johnson began waving them off as Castillo took the mound for the first pitch of the game. The two still didnât budge, so Johnson got more aggressive, pointing in Weaverâs direction to get him off the field so the game could start -- albeit three minutes late.
Weaver eventually relented first, shaking his head in disappointment as he walked off the field, and Ray and the Mariners' dugout let out a cheer. It soon was made known, though, that Johnson had actually ejected the two instead of ushering them off the field.
âAs soon as I felt like it got a little serious, I stepped away, and I thought I beat the timing on it,â Weaver said. âAnd it just so happens that they got pretty quick on the trigger. That was the surprising part.â
That impacted the Royals more than the Mariners, as Ray didnât start Sunday. But Weaver, who has a 6.43 ERA in 11 appearances since Kansas City acquired him in the trade that sent Emmanuel Rivera to the D-backs in July, was not available in a Royals bullpen that had to use six relievers in Saturdayâs 6-5 loss to the Mariners.Â
Weaver hasnât pitched since last Sunday in Boston, and it looked like he would have been used when Castillo couldnât get out of the fifth inning and the Mariners took a nine-run lead.
âItâs just unfortunate, because weâre trying to have fun," Weaver said. âNot trying to hold up the game in any type of capacity, but I think it kind of hurt our bullpen a little bit today, and thatâs what bothers me the most. Not being able to have a hand in that game if need be.â
Royals manager Mike Matheny said there was still ample bullpen coverage for the end of the game.
âHad it happen before, and the umpires would come over and say, âListen, get them off the field or somebodyâs going to get thrown out,ââ Matheny said. âBut next thing you know, heâs ejected. That could have played out, but fortunately it didnât. We still had a lot of coverage.â