Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol explained what really caused his fiery exchange with umpire C.B. Bucknor

You could tell the ump LOVED it.

The St. Louis Cardinals had plenty to be happy about when they left Arizona this weekend. They swept the Diamondbacks while riding a seven-game winning streak. Chase Field looked like Busch Stadium. And they’re starting to pull away in the NL Central standings as Albert Pujols chases 700 home runs. 

But … Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol did have one issue with the otherwise successful weekend, and that came courtesy of umpire C.B. Bucknor.

Marmol was ejected in the third inning on Sunday when Bucknor called a first-pitch strike on an obvious inside pitch to Nolan Arenado. The reaction from Arenado said it all, but the fireworks really sparked when Marmol got tossed for complaining about the call. That led to the two shouting at each other from *very* close range.

Marmol definitely got his money’s worth, but Bucknor didn’t exactly try to back down either. The umpire was just as animated as Marmol, which was a bit odd considering Bucknor was the one who missed the call.

After the game, Marmol said what really set him off in the whole exchange was Bucknor’s behavior. According to the Cardinals manager, he took issue with Bucknor’s smirk and how the ump apparently questioned his time in the league.

Though Bucknor doesn’t receive attention at Angel Herndandez’s level, baseball players often name Bucknor among their least favorite umpires. In fact, out of umpires who have worked at least 15 games behind the plate this season, Bucknor is dead last in accuracy at 91.3 percent.

When you combine that poor performance with zero umpire accountability, Marmol’s frustration makes sense.