He let it hit the ground and as planned it caused the runners to freak out. Had they just stayed on the bag there would have been only two outs with a runner on 1st and 2nd.
If it were a dead ball the runners would never take the few steps off the bag they normally and should take giving them enough time to return before being tagged. They MUST be tagged.
The only potential controversy to this century old rule is the umpires doing their job correctly by making the call when it should be made. It's as much a part of the game as anything in baseball.
FWIW, I also hate the new clock rule, but TV rules everything now. Three hour (or less) games are convenient, but not part of the real game of baseball.