Vitello, Webb tossed in SF Giants' loss to Diamondbacks

Justice delos Santos|, The Mercury News on Aug 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SAN FRANCISCO — When the San Francisco Giants made the unprecedented hiring of Tony Vitello, much was made of the fire, the passion, the intensity he brought to the table at the University of Tennessee. Save for some isolated instances, that energy has been noticeably absent for the majority of his first season in pro ball.

But maybe Vitello is finally coming out of his shell.

For the second time in the last three games, Vitello was ejected before his starting pitcher’s day was done. On Wednesday, Vitello was told to beat it in the top of the first for arguing a check-swing call. On Friday, a night that ended with a 10-6 loss, Vitello and Logan Webb were ejected in one fell swoop after the third for arguing

For Webb, who wasn’t even pitching, it was his first career ejection. For Vitello, who was tossed three times in his first 132 games, this was his fifth early trip back to the clubhouse.

Perhaps the only moment worth remembering was the debut of right-hander Braxton Roxby, the first player to appear in the majors from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Roxby retired the side in the top of the ninth, freezing the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Tim Tawa for his first career strikeout.

Vitello and Webb’s disdain derived from Nolan Arenado’s two-out double in the top of the third. Arenado’s chopper clearly bounced into foul territory beyond third base, but third-base umpire Alex MacKay ruled that the ball traveled over the bag and called it fair. The call immediately hurt San Francisco.

Tawa, the next batter, sent a hanging breaking ball from Blade Tidwell into the left-field bleachers for a three-run homer. Tawa’s blast was the second homer Tidwell allowed in the inning and the third he allowed in the game. By the end of the top of the third, the Giants were trailing 6-1. By the beginning of the bottom of the third, Vitello and Webb were forced to retreat to their clubhouse.

Vitello yelled at home plate umpire Alan Porter and extended his hands about a foot apart. The message was simple: Vitello believed the umpires missed the call. Vitello then popped out of the third-base dugout and paced to Porter. If Vitello was going to get ejected, he was going to get his money’s worth. Vitello was face-to-face with Porter, a screaming match complete with curse words and finger-pointing.

With the Giants trailing by five runs, Vitello and Webb’s ejections provided a temporary spark. Bryce Eldridge followed up his first-inning solo homer (15th of the year) with an RBI double in the third. Christian Koss hit his first home run in more than a year, a two-run shot that brought the Giants within one run.