Three Major League Baseball players were tossed from a game Saturday night after a goofy national anthem standoff went a little too far for one umpire’s liking.

The strange scene unfolded before the Los Angeles Angels’ road matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, where Angels reliever Brent Suter and teammate Chase Silseth decided to have a little fun after “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

We have a National Anthem standoff. pic.twitter.com/FZWRKUQqIn

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 30, 2026

Instead of heading back into the dugout when the anthem ended, Suter and Silseth stayed planted in front of the Angels’ dugout.

Across the field, two injured Rays pitchers, Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez, decided to play along.

Suddenly, the pregame ceremony had turned into a classic baseball standoff.

The goal was simple. Whoever left the field first lost.

It was harmless. It was silly. And for fans watching, it was one of the few genuinely funny moments in what has been a rough season for the Angels.

But home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez was not laughing.

With the game waiting to begin, Marquez appeared to grow tired of the delay. Silseth eventually gave up and returned to the dugout.

Suter, Wilson, and Rodriguez refused to budge.

That was enough for Marquez.

All three were ejected before the game even truly got underway.

Suter, who had thrown 25 pitches the night before and was not expected to pitch Saturday, later joked about the bizarre moment with reporters.

“Not the coolest way to get ejected, but one of the funnier ways to get ejected,” he said.

The ejections quickly became one of the strangest stories of the MLB weekend.

Suter, 36, has been around the league for more than a decade. He began his MLB career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016 and later pitched for the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Angels. Over his career, he has posted a 3.61 ERA with 524 strikeouts.

But Saturday night may go down as one of the most unusual moments of his career.

The Angels, meanwhile, could use any laugh they can get.

Los Angeles entered the game buried in last place in the American League West with a 23-36 record. The team has struggled badly this season, with one of the weakest farm systems in baseball and very little for frustrated fans to celebrate.

The offense has been uneven. The pitching staff has been shaky. And several players who were expected to take steps forward have instead gone backward.

Jo Adell, once viewed as one of baseball’s most exciting young prospects, has not built on his promising 2025 season. Jorge Soler and Zack Neto have both cooled off at the plate. The rotation has also been among the worst in the league.

There have been a few bright spots.

Jose Soriano has surprised many with a strong breakout season, and longtime star Mike Trout has shown flashes of his old form.

Still, for Angels fans, the season has been mostly painful.

Making matters worse, the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off back-to-back championships and are once again looking like a powerhouse.

But on Saturday, the Angels finally had their moment.

Despite the strange pregame ejections, Los Angeles crushed Tampa Bay 14-3. The struggling Angels beat one of the best teams in the American League in blowout fashion.

For one night, the Angels got the last laugh.

Even if one of their players had already been kicked out for standing still.