Players Ejected After Angels, Rays Engage in National Anthem Standoff

Players were ejected on Saturday after the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels engaged in a pre-game National Anthem standoff.

The standoff resulted in the third base umpire tossing Angels reliever Brent Suter and Rays pitchers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodríguez from the game at Tropicana field, per Fox News.

Moments after “The Star-Spangled Banner” concluded, Suter remained standing near the third-base dugout. On the opposite side of the field, Wilson and Rodríguez stood near the first-base dugout alongside Rays mascots.

All of it unfolded with Drew Rasmussen ready to take the mound and Angels leadoff hitter Zach Neto standing in the batter’s box awaiting the first pitch.

The umpire eventually indicated that all three players involved in the pregame incident had been ejected. The game ultimately got underway as scheduled.

The Angels came out on top with a win of 14-3.