A disagreement over the new pitch clock regulations resulted in Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson's early exit from Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The incident unfolded in the sixth inning when Thomson contested home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz's decision not to reset the pitch clock after pitcher Aaron Nola requested a new baseball. The umpiring crew believed Nola was intentionally delaying the game to circumvent the pitch clock rules, which stipulate 15 seconds to pitch with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on.

Crew chief and third base umpire Bill Miller explained their perspective to a pool reporter, stating, "As the game progressed, we observed him discarding more and more baseballs, leading us to believe he was attempting to manipulate the pitch clock. It's the umpire's discretion to determine if a player is trying to bypass the rules." Miller added that Nola didn't examine the ball until he'd already removed it from the glove and requested a replacement.

Thomson vehemently disagreed with the umpires' assessment. "While the rules prohibit delaying the game, there's no specific mention of discarding baseballs," Thomson argued. "Every baseball feels different to a pitcher. Sometimes they're slick. It's impossible to know a pitcher's intent without being inside their head."

Nola maintained he was both trying to gain a moment and genuinely concerned about the ball's condition. "I was examining the ball as I returned to the mound," Nola stated. "The clock was running, and I tossed it aside to get an extra second. Apparently, they didn't approve. Baseballs vary; some are chalky, some slick, some have larger seams. I need to prepare the ball properly."

This marked Thomson's second ejection of the season, the first occurring in May during a game against the Colorado Rockies over a balls and strikes dispute. The Dodgers ultimately won the game 9-0, with Nola pitching 6 1/3 innings, recording seven strikeouts, but also surrendering six runs on seven hits.