Did a New York Yankees’ Opponent’s Grounds Crew Really Get Ejected?

An umpire runs across the field, points at a group of grounds crew members, and the grounds crew promptly runs off of the field.

I don't know about you, but out of context, to me, it certainly looked like the Baltimore Orioles' grounds crew was ejected in their game against the New York Yankees last week.

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Well, let's go to the tape, and you can be the judge. Here it is:

Seems pretty cut-and-dry, right? They were next to the field, and may have been a bit too raucous for crew chief Tim Timmons, and the group was told to hit the showers.

According to Timmons, however, that's not actually what happened:

"I didn't 'eject' the grounds crew,'' Timmons said in a text to The Associated Press. "I just didn't want all of them behind the tarp, especially with the infield in." - Tim Timmons via ESPN

So, Timmons claims that they weren't ejected, but rather, were just relocated away from the tarp. The question still remains, however...why?

Timmons can claim this all he wants, but I firmly believe that the grounds crew was letting one (or multiple) of the Yankees have it from the safety of the first row of the stands, and someone didn't enjoy it. It certainly may have been Timmons himself who overheard the verbal barrage and acted out of respect for the players, or, it may have been a member of the Yankees roster or coaching staff who took matters into their own hands.

Either way, I really wish the grounds crew had been allowed to stay. The situation presented a cool visual: a group of black-and-orange clad workers crowded around the tarp, waiting in the wings as the players dodge raindrops in an attempt to complete the game at hand. Instead, the grounds crew was forced to remove themselves, and the situation was diffused.

No matter what, I'll always believe in my heart: the grounds crew in Baltimore was ejected.