Joey Votto gets ejected in possibly his final game with the Reds

In addition to playoff intrigue, Game 162 is also a day for emotional farewells around the Majors, with franchise legends like Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Crawford taking one last victory lap in front of their home crowds. That sentiment did not extend to St. Louis, however, where Reds icon Joey Votto — playing in what is quite possibly his final game in a Cincinnati uniform — was tossed by home-plate umpire Shane Livensparger after being called out on strikes in his first at-bat.

First thing’s first: True to form for one of the best batting eyes of his generation, it appears that Votto was, indeed, correct in his objection to that strike call. But more to the point: Come on, man. Even if Votto was wrong about the call, you have to have a little perspective here, especially considering that he was tossed from his own dugout — that’s an outrageous thing to do in Game 162 in any context, let alone the potential final game of a future Hall of Famer.

Granted, Votto has yet to actually confirm that this will be his last year in the Majors.

“I don’t know,” he told reporters earlier this week. “I’m just going to keep playing, then stop [at the end of the season], and then we’ll see. A ‘we’ll see’ sort of thing. We’re having a great time right now.”

Cincy’s Cinderella run to the postseason was cut short thanks to their loss in St. Louis on Saturday night, bringing questions about Votto’s future to the fore. The first baseman certainly seemed to be saying goodbye during the Reds’ home finale last weekend, getting an extended standing ovation before his first at-bat. With a ton of young talent coming back in 2024, it’s not out of the question that Votto could try to give it one more run, assuming that his surgically-repaired shoulder cooperates and that the pending free agent and the team can agree on new deal this winter. The 40-year-old has had an up-and-down year at the plate since returning from the IL, slashing .203/.315/.435 with 14 homers in 64 games.

One thing is for sure, though: If this is actually the final image of Votto on a Major League diamond, correctly arguing a bad third-strike call feels oddly fitting.