Ump gets drilled by pitch after ejecting Tigers' McCann, Ausmus

Detroit Tigers catcher John Hicks completely whiffed on a fastball from Buck Farmer, which is sure to get the conspiracy theorists working overtime.

In the bottom of the third inning Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians, the Tigers' starting backstop, James McCann, grew frustrated with home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott's strike zone, and was promptly tossed for voicing his displeasure. So, too, was his skipper, Brad Ausmus, who tried to make his own case after McCann's dismissal.

Hicks then stepped in to replace McCann, but Farmer's first pitch to Yandy Diaz two at-bats later sailed past his glove, drilling Wolcott in the shoulder and mask and knocking the umpire down for a few minutes in an unlucky coincidence:

The inauspicious circumstances weren't lost on Wolcott, who seemed fine despite the impact. As he was tended to by his fellow umpires, he was jokingly asking if the Tigers did it on purpose, according to Evan Woodberry of MLive.com.