Javy Báez gifts Tigers fans with ejection of the year in Phil Cuzzi meltdown

Detroit Tigers fans enjoying some Memorial Day baseball were treated to extra entertainment on Monday when Javy Báez was ejected from the team's series opener against the San Francisco Giants.

Leading off the fifth inning with the Tigers up 1-0, Báez went down on strikes for the second time on the afternoon, but this one was no fault of his own. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi apparently had a strike zone in another zip code when he rung up Baez looking.

Giants right-hander Hayden Birdsong dropped in a curveball way off the bottom of the plate and baseball fans immediately got flashbacks to Eric Gregg during the 1997 NLCS. Don't get us wrong; it was a good pitch, but it certainly was not a strike.

Báez proceeded to argue with Cuzzi as began walking back to the dugout. That's when things really got out of hand. Cuzzi ejected Báez in the most infuriating way possible: Báez was in the process of turning his back in an effort to disengage.

Mind you, he was still heated. But Cuzzi is absolutely out of his gourd if he thinks that's an appropriate ejection after he call he just made.

Javy Báez gifts Tigers fans with ejection of the year in Phil Cuzzi meltdown

AJ Hinch came out to give Cuzzi and earful, likely because he was on his way to defend his player and Cuzzi didn't give him the necessary opportunity to put himself on the line so his lineup wouldn't be affected.

Báez has been one of the Tigers' best players this season and has been instrumental in their AL-best start. If this was the 2022-2024 Báez, we'd say Cuzzi might've at least had a leg to stand on. But the version of Báez that's hitting .289 with a .799 OPS and 125 OPS+? Cuzzi couldn't have been more wrong in both scenarios.

With Matt Vierling in center field, we'll see if Cuzzi's actions affect Detroit, who are holding onto a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning. This is going to make headlines regardless, but a Tigers loss would really send it into the stratosphere.