Umpire apologizes for viral MadBum hand check, ejection

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It's rare when an MLB umpire admits to an on-field mistake, but after the events that occurred in Miami on Wednesday, Dan Bellino had no choice.

Bellino issued an apology Friday for his actions during a viral incident with Madison Bumgarner that ended with the first base umpire ejecting the Diamondbacks' starting pitcher.

"I would like to address my actions on May 4 involving Madison Bumgarner," Bellino said in a statement (H/T ESPN.com). "When I began my MLB career almost 15 years ago, I received some good advice. I was told to umpire every game as if my children were sitting in the front row. I fell short of those expectations this week. While I can't go back and change what happened, I take full accountability. I will learn from this incident, and I sincerely apologize."

During the first inning of the D-backs' game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park, Bumgarner objected to a few calls by the home plate umpire. When the inning was over, Bellino, the crew chief, was tasked with checking Bumgarner's hand for any foreign substances.

That's when things got weird.

Rather than quickly examine Bumgarner's hand and allow him to return to the dugout, Bellino massaged Bumgarner's palm and fingers for quite a bit of time while also staring directly at the former Giants ace. Once Bumgarner looked up, he began arguing with Bellino, who promptly ejected him.

RELATED: Kuiper reveals funny story about mid-game Bumgarner texts

Bumgarner, understandably upset by the whole situation, had to be restrained by his teammates.

After the D-backs rallied to stun the Marlins, Bumgarner addressed what happened with Bellino, noting that he knew why he got ejected but stopping short of openly criticizing the umpire.

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