Mics picked up umpire Phil Cuzzi's NSFW comeback before ejecting Astros hitting coach Alex Cintrón

So, it's OK when umpires curse at coaches?

Longtime MLB umpire Phil Cuzzi is one of those umps who can bring unnecessary drama to games. In terms of calling balls and strikes, he’s about middle of the pack this season. But you’ll notice how he has very little tolerance for arguments from the dugout.

On Tuesday, he had a fiery response of his own to Astros hitting coach Alex Cintrón, and we heard all of it.

In the sixth inning of Houston’s game against the Orioles, Cintrón took exception with a first-pitch strike call to Jose Abreu. Now, Cuzzi did miss the call — the ball was high out of the zone. But Cuzzi couldn’t help but go in a back and forth over the pitch with Cintrón.

That led to this ejection that was picked up on the broadcast mics. (Warning: NSFW language)

Phil Cuzzi has thrown out Astros hitting coach Alex Cintrón pic.twitter.com/zKSRYpwlqy

— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) September 20, 2023

We could hear as Cintrón said “(expletive) you” to Cuzzi, which is always an automatic ejection. But Cuzzi took the actual tossing to a new level when he responded with, “(expletive) me? (expletive) you!”

As far as mic’d-up moments go, it’ll be tough to top that one — though you’d like to see an umpire have more restraint there. Fans also had thoughts on the theatrics.