Counsell ejected after arguing stolen-base call in Cubs’ win over Mets

Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected Tuesday night after arguing a stolen-base call that decided the state of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Chicago went on to win 9-6 over the Mets at Citi Field, but the sequence involving Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch produced a prolonged argument with the Mets’ staff and the crew working the base path.

With Mets right-hander Tobias Myers pitching in the seventh, Crow-Armstrong led off the inning with a walk. Busch followed two batters later, drawing a walk of his own, during which Crow-Armstrong attempted to steal second base on a 3-2 slider that was called ball four. The play put Chicago in motion early, but it also created a ruling moment that would not settle quickly.

The Mets responded immediately defensively. Francisco Alvarez threw to shortstop Bo Bichette, who kept the tag on Crow-Armstrong throughout the slide. Despite the tag being applied through contact, second-base umpire Stu Scheurwater called Crow-Armstrong safe, awarding the Cubs runners on first and second after the attempted steal.

Counsell then challenged the call, and the disagreement escalated from argument to ejection. The Cubs were already in scoring position with runners on base, but the overturned temperament of the moment became the story of the inning. In MLB, stolen-base and safe-out determinations at the bag are among the most consequential calls because they directly affect runner advancement and, by extension, how managers plan subsequent at-bats.

What made the play notable from a game-management standpoint was how it blended a standard steal attempt with a pitch that ended as ball four. That combination created a scenario where Cubs base running and Mets pitching were both active at once, and the safe call meant Crow-Armstrong was not retired on the base-path play. Once the safe ruling stood and Counsell’s dispute moved beyond dispute, the Cubs’ focus shifted back to manufacturing runs in a game they ultimately controlled enough to close it out.

For Chicago, the inning served as a reminder that small, high-leverage calls can reshape innings even when the end result remains favorable. For New York, it was a reminder that catcher-to-shortstop tags and the mechanics of a slide can still lead to unexpected outcomes, especially when umpires are operating in real time on close plays at full speed. And for both clubs, the sequence added an extra layer of tension in a game decided by a multi-run margin.

The next question for fans is how the teams respond when base-running decisions come under scrutiny again. With these kinds of at-bat situations, managers often tighten their emphasis on timing, secondary leads, and the risk-reward balance of aggressive base running. The Cubs’ ability to keep pressure on after the inning’s ruling controversy will matter as they try to keep momentum heading into their next stretch of games.