Umpire Adrian Johnson actually ejected Robbie Ray and Luke Weaver over pregame standoff

Pitchers Robbie Ray and Luke Weaver were teammates in Arizona for a couple seasons, and that friendship clearly carried on to their new spots with the Mariners and Royals.

But we have now learned that there is no place for friendly competition when umpire Adrian Johnson is around.

Ahead of Sunday’s game between the Mariners and Royals, both Ray and Weaver stood at the dugout steps to have a good, old-fashioned national anthem standoff. And the two players were so committed to the standoff that the umpires had to get involved.

The two pitchers probably didn’t expect the umpires to take the standoff so seriously, but Johnson could not have been more annoyed.

After Johnson initially told them to cut it out and go to the dugout with little success, the umpire actually ejected both players. We could see as he made note in his scorebook, and Ray didn’t seem to realize it as he was celebrating the standoff victory. They announced the ejection in the press box as well.

You don’t see that happen too often.

Ray wasn’t scheduled to start on Sunday, and it was unlikely that Weaver was going to see action. So, the ejections didn’t have any impact on the game. MLB fans did use the ordeal as an opportunity to roast the umpire, though. It was another example of baseball getting in its own way when it comes to fun displays of personality.

Do better next time, MLB.