Nicolas James Lentz (born December 28, 1989) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He made his debut on April 20, 2016, in Miami.[2] He wears number 59,[3] which was most recently worn by former umpire Jon Byrne.[2]
During the 2016 season, Lentz umpired 105 MLB games, 24 as the home plate umpire.[4] Lentz's first MLB ejection came on May 17, 2017, when he ejected St. Louis Cardinals' manager Mike Matheny.[5] In July 2017, Lentz was the first base umpire for the Triple-A All-Star Game.[6] He umpired 109 MLB games during the 2017 season, 25 behind the plate.[4]
On August 31, 2018, Lentz ejected New York Yankees' manager Aaron Boone. Boone, who had been in the dugout, was displeased with a strike call Lentz made during a Gleyber Torres at-bat. Boone came on to the field and became quite animated, including crouching behind home plate in a catcher's stance, apparently demonstrating to Lentz the difference between balls and strikes.[7]
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