In a dramatic turn of events during Sunday's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Oliver Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso were ejected after the Cardinals successfully challenged two separate calls at first base.
The first replay challenge occurred in the bottom of the second inning when a fielder's choice was overturned into an inning-ending double play. The initial call by first-base umpire Sean Barber, ruling Milwaukee's Brice Turang safe at first, was reversed upon review, showing that the throw from shortstop Brandon Crawford had beaten Turang to the bag.
Shortly after, in the top of the third inning, another controversial call at first base took place. Barber initially called St. Louis' Iván Herrera out at first on what seemed to be a double play. However, the Cardinals challenged the call once again, and replays confirmed that Herrera was safe at first, changing the ruling to a fielder's choice.
Following the heated discussions over the missed initial calls, both Descalso and Marmol were ejected from the game by home plate umpire Alan Porter. With the Cardinals trailing 3-1, hitting coach Turner Ward took over the managerial duties for the remainder of the game.
This incident added to the frustration of a challenging weekend for Marmol and the Cardinals, who had lost seven consecutive games leading up to Sunday's matchup, placing them nine games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers.
The Brewers, aiming for a four-game sweep of the Cardinals for the third time in franchise history, were on the verge of achieving this milestone. Meanwhile, the Cardinals faced the possibility of being swept in a four-game series for the first time since June 2021.
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