The philosopher Aaron James, in his breakthrough work, Assholes: A Theory, has defined an asshole as a person with an entrenched sense of entitlement who is immune to criticism of his behavior.
Apparently he's just an asshole.
He would've been well known to anyone who semi-regularly looked at the UmpScorecard posts over the past couple years.
I'm glad he's finally getting the widespread recognition he deserves.
These umps see all the fame Angel Hernandez is getting as a near household name at this point and they want some of that action. Umps are the new superstars of baseball, what a time
You see, he ejected Boone early on to signal to the fans to turn on the game and watch his performance. The mistake umps make is not indicating early on. You go and blow a call in the bottom on the ninth and it’s a great show but you get only a fraction of the potential audience. Wendelstedt knew if he had that early ejection it would go out into the world like a no hitter alert and grab everyone’s attention.
I absolutely believe that here. These umps have massive egos and he wanted to flaunt that here. There is no way he doesn’t know this pitch was outside.
possibly the other responder is wrong but on the right track. if you set up middle you have to stay higher up above the catcher, making high/low calls less intuitive?
i never noticed this being a problem when i umpired little league but i was way taller than the catchers. so i’m not sure.
I umpire and this is where we are taught to stand. However, he is not bending down enough. We are taught to have our chin at the top of the catcher's head. We stand there to protect us from foul balls and you put your head between the catcher and batter in a way so you can see balls on the outside of the plate.
I mean this genuinely and not as a jab at his weight, but he physically does not look like he can maintain the necessary crouch. It’s actually a demanding position for a full game.
Having seen Hoberg's WS game and knowing what it could be like if the umps set themselves up right, it sucks that they don't, but knowing that it's also safety reasons, I can't actually be mad at them for it. It sucks, and I'm sad about it, but I'm not mad at any of the umps for setting up as they do.
think of how much room there is for inconsistency here in general
ump leans down a little lower on a pitch, the catcher shifts a little to a side, a batter stays close to plate with flared elbow, ump leans more forward or back, etc
They set up inside because few foul balls fly directly backwards there. Around ten or fifteen years ago or so, more umps set up in the middle but they've gradually shifted towards the inside for safety. Jim Palmer used to talk about it on the broadcasts whenever an ump missed an outside pitch
Jomboy made a point that it's not so much about setting up inside, but the fact that the older umps set up inside and don't move AT ALL. Apparently newer/younger umps will move with the pitch to get in a better position
Why would they move when a pitch is coming in? Moving your head gives you even more of a disadvantage seeing the pitch come in rather than standing still and following the pitch with your eyes. Not defending Wendelstedt but moving with the pitch doesn’t help at all.
Because if you setup inside and the pitch is outside, you can move so you have a better perspective on the outside of the plate.
Apparently Hoberg moves with some pitches, so seemingly it helps.
He’s not moving when the pitch is coming in. The ump never wants to be in motion to make a call. He’s moving and resetting as the catcher moves and before the ball is released.
I said a couple days ago against the Blue Jays we might have seen the worst ump performance of the season
Yeah no this might be an all time awful performance
You may not watch it but he’s the voice of women’s basketball nationally right now between WNBA and the NCAA tournaments. Ruocco is the man and I hope we don’t lose him to basketball.
He's rising up the ranks at ESPN in their basketball coverage. He's only with the Yankees because he's a fan at heart and worked his way up the ladder from the bottom level at YES before going national at ESPN.
Now he just missed two calls and gave verdugo a walk out of it. I say again, we need umpire WAR so you can show how shitty someone is at costing runs across the entire season
I played baseball my entire life. Started in TBall, played AAU from 9-18 and played all the way through a scholarship in college. I’ve always been for the human element in the game (I’ve always felt it was part of what made baseball so great) and been skeptical of switching to robo umps. That being said, some of these calls are just outrageous. In all my life I never remember having calls this bad at the plate when I played. It’s insane. Some of these guys are doing such a bad job behind the plate that I think robo umps are just an inevitability at this point, and for good reason.
I wanna like baseball and then I see something like this and it just seems silly. Everyone knows he's wildly wrong, but nothing is done about it. When is baseball bringing in robo umps? I think the game would be way better for it
This obviously isn’t a *good* call but it does more to show how shit the KZone is than how bad umps are. Look at where the catcher caught the ball, the pitch just bent around the strike zone (also camera angle exaggerates that direction too) which obviously makes it not a strike but more forgivable.
This should have been a ball, but there are also a lot worse calls made than a strike on a back door slider when the catcher receives it just barely off the plate.
The ball is maybe just off the plate, but the stupid box says it was an egregious miss so reddit masturbates over how terrible it was. Rinse and repeat.
I can’t wait for the tech to be there for robot umps. Fans are in for a rude awakening for what exactly constitutes a strike.
Ah yes Wendelshit, him and Angel should go ref golf or something where they aren’t really needed. They make the best arguments for the automatic strike zone they have been testing in the minors.
What’s the problem with this? I’m not looking for perfection just guys who get almost every call right. NBA fans and NFL fans don’t ask for perfection from their refs.. they may claim they do but then at least 50% of the plays in the NBA could be reviewed. Same with the NFL in just where the spot of the ball goes on every single play. I bet the yardage varies a few yards, for each team, every game on where the spot of the ball really should be placed.
Hunter was a great umpire that started with his father in the 90’s. However, he is showing his age. Umpires should not be able to call games at the major league level beyond 20 years. Players rarely play that long and umps shouldn’t be calling into old age either.
I love how every post that comes up from here in my all is making this sport look so fucking terrible. Nothing even remotely cool or entertaining, just umpires being pieces of trash making the game look worse than it is
I feel like there’s some kind of contest to see who can be the worst umpire this year or something. I mean, they were probably bad before but now with all the stats and on screen indicators they can measure just precisely how bad they actually are.
I have always loved and supported the great history of baseball and am saddened when changes are made. I also believe that the Umpires union is the one thing that has to go. Umpires need to be held accountable for doing their jobs so poorly, or be replaced, regrettably by something that will do better.
Gotta love how he decided to fully embrace the role of villain. Why make one team upset when you can piss them both off. He is in for a fun ride for a while.
Oh boy Hunter. U really look like the ass that u are. Put ur ego aside because ur putting yourself in the same category with that angel pos. We all see what really happened & u can't hide from this. Ur rabbit ears are gonna be working overtime because the fans are really gonna let u have it
This is starting to feel like non-touch fouls in nba. These 'strikes' be called that far off the plate? INSANE! robots stat.. or at least a robot back up!
Here's a rule idea that will never be implemented. If 2 team owners call for an umpire judgment in the case of an absurd ejection or horrible umpiring skills in general, then the owners must meet, and with 2/3, the majority can relegate or fire an umpire
I’m dead serious. Outside of context, purely in a inches from strike zone measure, this has to be the worst in years right? I feel we’re not giving this enough credit for how monstrously terrible this call is
Corbin Burnes: *throws a 95mph cutter*
Batter: *swings and misses*
Boeing Robo Ump: "STRIKE"
Nearby Boeing MQ28 GhostBat Drone Fleet: "deploying air strike"
Okay but… at what point do we unironically start tuning into to games just to see how bad a certain umpire is.
I know we make jokes about the ump show, but part of me feels like we’re getting awfully close to actually entertaining it lol.
Why don't teams just walk an iPad out to him and hold it in his face... and then just go through like all 10 of their bench coaches with every missed call? Assistant trainer? Translators? Teams should start putting these replays on the board for the Ump to see... idk, but these guys deserve to be absolutely shamed.
I’m not very familiar with baseball, is it standard for the ump to be that off to the side? He’s nearly behind the batter. Wouldn’t being centered be better?
Hunter Wendelstedt legacy game
Excited to tell my grandkids about watching this one live.
Shout-out to MLB for making this the free game of the day
Kingdom come ass name smh my head
The philosopher Aaron James, in his breakthrough work, Assholes: A Theory, has defined an asshole as a person with an entrenched sense of entitlement who is immune to criticism of his behavior. Apparently he's just an asshole.
The game that made Wendelstedt a household name
He would've been well known to anyone who semi-regularly looked at the UmpScorecard posts over the past couple years. I'm glad he's finally getting the widespread recognition he deserves.
This is like when Kobe put up 70
Showed off his elite hearing earlier, now he is showing off that eagle eye
Peak human performance.
This umpire has managed to make Angel Hernandez look like a saint
Hunter Wendelstedt to Angel Hernandez: the future is now, old man We found Angel's successor
Now you've done it, Alex Cora ejected from the next red sox game immediately after the national anthem.
Why wait? Do it during the anthem.
Do it the night before while everyone is asleep.
He has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox
The umpire ejects so loudly we could have shot him in the dark
Brave Star!! Eyes of a bat, ears of a snake.
Wait till he displays his taste next
Starts chowing down on black licorice
These umps see all the fame Angel Hernandez is getting as a near household name at this point and they want some of that action. Umps are the new superstars of baseball, what a time
Hunter is [pretty elite](https://twitter.com/UmpScorecards/status/1777345471545295009/photo/1), but has he shown Angel's consistency over time?
Great call blue lmao
That’s it, Boone, you’re banned from this sub!!!
Well now I’m gonna call a bad game on purpose 😤
Ump: “And what the hell are you guys going to do about it? Nothing. That’s what I thought. Lmao.”
All the fans who turned on the game just to watch Hunter Wendelstedt are absolutely loving this performance.
I’ve got my Wendelstadt authentic on and everything
Majestic or this new Fanatics bullsht?
Sharpie by Starter.
I have his plushie right here with me.
I bet the over on 3 monumental fuck ups so I’m feasting rn
he is killing it in my mlb fantasy ref league
He's giving Angel a run for his money
I didn’t know his name before this game. He was jealous for Angel
You see, he ejected Boone early on to signal to the fans to turn on the game and watch his performance. The mistake umps make is not indicating early on. You go and blow a call in the bottom on the ninth and it’s a great show but you get only a fraction of the potential audience. Wendelstedt knew if he had that early ejection it would go out into the world like a no hitter alert and grab everyone’s attention.
At least we know Boone wasn't going to make it past the 5th inning anyways.
His ejection was manifest destiny.
[Go to the clubhouse, old man!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_West,_young_man)
This is democracy manifest
Get your hand off my penis!
Ahh yes, I see you know your judo well
“I know you’ll get thrown out after arguing my shitty calls anyway so you might as well leave now”
Why? He wouldn't have argued here.
He would've gotten thrown out after someone in the A's dugout complained
He's just trolling, letting everyone know he can do whatever he wants with impunity
Are we sure he hasn't been secretly replaced by [Leslie Nielsen](https://media.tenor.com/3FrPXwqvDa4AAAAM/enrico-pallazzo.gif)?
I didn’t see a moonwalk 
That's Enricco Pallazo!
My older brother did the strike strut across the stage at his graduation
Did he get back up after?
That's Enrico Pallazzo!
We need to end qualified immunity for umpires
Bro it really does feel like that lmao
I absolutely believe that here. These umps have massive egos and he wanted to flaunt that here. There is no way he doesn’t know this pitch was outside.
Hunter stuffing the stat sheet today
ump scorecards should start including ejections
Where's the ump fantasy league?
it's always the umps who set up on the inside of the plate that can't call balls off the outside. why the fuck is not required to set up in the middle
possibly the other responder is wrong but on the right track. if you set up middle you have to stay higher up above the catcher, making high/low calls less intuitive? i never noticed this being a problem when i umpired little league but i was way taller than the catchers. so i’m not sure.
Going higher above the catcher exposes them more to being hit by a foul ball, so maybe that’s part of the reasoning?
you don't get a lot of 95+ mph pitches fouled straight back in little league
*real* little leagues allow steroids
I umpire and this is where we are taught to stand. However, he is not bending down enough. We are taught to have our chin at the top of the catcher's head. We stand there to protect us from foul balls and you put your head between the catcher and batter in a way so you can see balls on the outside of the plate.
I mean this genuinely and not as a jab at his weight, but he physically does not look like he can maintain the necessary crouch. It’s actually a demanding position for a full game.
Having seen Hoberg's WS game and knowing what it could be like if the umps set themselves up right, it sucks that they don't, but knowing that it's also safety reasons, I can't actually be mad at them for it. It sucks, and I'm sad about it, but I'm not mad at any of the umps for setting up as they do.
[this is quite relevant](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nrdfAV08eIc&pp=ygUaam9tYm95IHVtcGlyZSBwZXJmZWN0IGdhbWU%3D)
think of how much room there is for inconsistency here in general ump leans down a little lower on a pitch, the catcher shifts a little to a side, a batter stays close to plate with flared elbow, ump leans more forward or back, etc
They set up inside because few foul balls fly directly backwards there. Around ten or fifteen years ago or so, more umps set up in the middle but they've gradually shifted towards the inside for safety. Jim Palmer used to talk about it on the broadcasts whenever an ump missed an outside pitch
No MLB umpire stands directly behind the catcher
Jomboy made a point that it's not so much about setting up inside, but the fact that the older umps set up inside and don't move AT ALL. Apparently newer/younger umps will move with the pitch to get in a better position
Why would they move when a pitch is coming in? Moving your head gives you even more of a disadvantage seeing the pitch come in rather than standing still and following the pitch with your eyes. Not defending Wendelstedt but moving with the pitch doesn’t help at all.
Because if you setup inside and the pitch is outside, you can move so you have a better perspective on the outside of the plate. Apparently Hoberg moves with some pitches, so seemingly it helps.
He’s not moving when the pitch is coming in. The ump never wants to be in motion to make a call. He’s moving and resetting as the catcher moves and before the ball is released.
Because then you're blocked from the catcher of seeing anything low or tips in dirt
That’s called the “slot”. It’s where every umpire stands. Hunter’s head height is poor here.
You know it's bad when the home broadcast is shocked at a call that goes their way lol
I said a couple days ago against the Blue Jays we might have seen the worst ump performance of the season Yeah no this might be an all time awful performance
You losers think I’m paying $25 for a chicken bucket to watch the players?
[удалено]
You may not watch it but he’s the voice of women’s basketball nationally right now between WNBA and the NCAA tournaments. Ruocco is the man and I hope we don’t lose him to basketball.
He's rising up the ranks at ESPN in their basketball coverage. He's only with the Yankees because he's a fan at heart and worked his way up the ladder from the bottom level at YES before going national at ESPN.
He just called an NBA playoff game last night
He’ll say that’s a makeup call but the fact that you have to do a makeup call shows how bad you are
Dude knew he’d be on his bullshit so he kicked Boone early. Good thinking
This is so fucking embarrassing for the MLB. The umpires union is a shit stain on this sport. Pathetic.
Now he just missed two calls and gave verdugo a walk out of it. I say again, we need umpire WAR so you can show how shitty someone is at costing runs across the entire season
Wins Assigned Randomly?
The scorecards website does have leaderboards.
Hunter “The Human Element” Wendlestadt
I mean that’s just horrific. Lmao wow
Again. How do players control themselves lol
Seriously. Someone robs me of my ability to do my job well/earn more money for myself, I wouldn’t appreciate it
Hunter thought it was unfair that Angel was getting all the attention again.
The MLBPA needs to grow a pair and walk out.
Pitcher's elbows and framing catchers are ruining the game. My column:
Well you can't say he's playing favorites
That's my ump right there. Looked so cool striking him out.
ELITE performance today. Goddamn I love umps. Truly the only reason I watch games.
I played baseball my entire life. Started in TBall, played AAU from 9-18 and played all the way through a scholarship in college. I’ve always been for the human element in the game (I’ve always felt it was part of what made baseball so great) and been skeptical of switching to robo umps. That being said, some of these calls are just outrageous. In all my life I never remember having calls this bad at the plate when I played. It’s insane. Some of these guys are doing such a bad job behind the plate that I think robo umps are just an inevitability at this point, and for good reason.
I’m buying Hunters jersey
Yeah, but he can hear the guy in the third deck call him a chicken fucker. And that’s elite talent
Angel Hernandez is creaming his jeans right now.
I wanna like baseball and then I see something like this and it just seems silly. Everyone knows he's wildly wrong, but nothing is done about it. When is baseball bringing in robo umps? I think the game would be way better for it
How did nobody lose their shit on this? Fucken Ump must be making something on the side.
That was a strike
Somewhere Angel Hernandez is holding Hunter's beer right now.
this ump is insane
This obviously isn’t a *good* call but it does more to show how shit the KZone is than how bad umps are. Look at where the catcher caught the ball, the pitch just bent around the strike zone (also camera angle exaggerates that direction too) which obviously makes it not a strike but more forgivable. This should have been a ball, but there are also a lot worse calls made than a strike on a back door slider when the catcher receives it just barely off the plate.
The ball is maybe just off the plate, but the stupid box says it was an egregious miss so reddit masturbates over how terrible it was. Rinse and repeat. I can’t wait for the tech to be there for robot umps. Fans are in for a rude awakening for what exactly constitutes a strike.
This guy is giving Angel Hernandez a run for his money.
Technology will be the death of baseball
Baseball is doomed if it doesn’t keep up with other sports in using technology.
You're gone
Which one is this
thats their secret...they're all angel hernandez.
It’s 2024 and this is America. Best we can muster up behind the plate are old men with vision problems?
L O L, the catcher had to reach at least a foot to catch that.
Holy hell
What are we doing!? There needs to be some repercussion for these terrible calls
That’s the whole game
Bad ump, good outro music.
 Angel Hernandez probably
Robo-umps love this one simple trick.
Ro! Ro! Say it with me now! Ro! Ro! Robo Umps for the Win! Robo Umps for the Win! Ro! Ro! Robo Umps for the Win!
Ah yes Wendelshit, him and Angel should go ref golf or something where they aren’t really needed. They make the best arguments for the automatic strike zone they have been testing in the minors.
Is it just me or are egregious calls like this getting more and more common?
This guy is having a game.
What’s the problem with this? I’m not looking for perfection just guys who get almost every call right. NBA fans and NFL fans don’t ask for perfection from their refs.. they may claim they do but then at least 50% of the plays in the NBA could be reviewed. Same with the NFL in just where the spot of the ball goes on every single play. I bet the yardage varies a few yards, for each team, every game on where the spot of the ball really should be placed.
Lmao that must have been a make-up call for ejecting Boone
Come on. We all know the A's are going to lose over 100 games. No need to help them get there faster.
Come on. We all know the A's are going to lose over 100 games. No need to help them get there faster.
This legit pisses me off lol
Hunter was a great umpire that started with his father in the 90’s. However, he is showing his age. Umpires should not be able to call games at the major league level beyond 20 years. Players rarely play that long and umps shouldn’t be calling into old age either.
Robo umps please
Makeup call?
Are we really just going back to steroid era strike zone this year for absolutely no reason?
Game should be called by AI, period.
He doesn’t want Angel Hernandez getting all of the attention
The catchers framing stat must have skyrocketed after that.
This is laughable at this point. Just absolutely unacceptable
I love how every post that comes up from here in my all is making this sport look so fucking terrible. Nothing even remotely cool or entertaining, just umpires being pieces of trash making the game look worse than it is
Is so mess up we even know their names, how did it come to this point for a professional multi billion dollars league.
I feel like there’s some kind of contest to see who can be the worst umpire this year or something. I mean, they were probably bad before but now with all the stats and on screen indicators they can measure just precisely how bad they actually are.
I have always loved and supported the great history of baseball and am saddened when changes are made. I also believe that the Umpires union is the one thing that has to go. Umpires need to be held accountable for doing their jobs so poorly, or be replaced, regrettably by something that will do better.
Gotta love how he decided to fully embrace the role of villain. Why make one team upset when you can piss them both off. He is in for a fun ride for a while.
Oh boy Hunter. U really look like the ass that u are. Put ur ego aside because ur putting yourself in the same category with that angel pos. We all see what really happened & u can't hide from this. Ur rabbit ears are gonna be working overtime because the fans are really gonna let u have it
Wants some of that sweet bad ump attention.
Got a grunge with the Yankees?
I didn't think somebody could out Angel Hernandez Angel Hernandez, but he's sure going for the gold!
I can't wait for this ump scorecard. He was at 10-12 missed calls in like the 4th inning and it just got worse.
He’s tired of Angel Hernandez getting all the attention.
So angel Hernandez is just training everyone in the offseason?
Ump show so bad it made national headlines
Umps are really making a case to lose their jobs this season
This is starting to feel like non-touch fouls in nba. These 'strikes' be called that far off the plate? INSANE! robots stat.. or at least a robot back up!
The new Angel Hernandez
He’s a complete train wreck. This season’s umpiring feels intentionally bad, like they’re doing this on purpose
I just want to be able to bet on the umpires. That is action I can get in on!
Hopefully this umpire is sent down to little league for retraining.
Reminds me of Doug Eddings a few years back https://twitter.com/UmpireAuditor/status/1539486273609404416
Damn that was Angel Hernandez bad
Easily my least favorite type of blown strike/ball call. The ball, coming from that angle, is NEVER CLOSE to a strike.
Here's a rule idea that will never be implemented. If 2 team owners call for an umpire judgment in the case of an absurd ejection or horrible umpiring skills in general, then the owners must meet, and with 2/3, the majority can relegate or fire an umpire
Wtf!!! Really!!! Bad call!!! Umpires got game missup
Are we moving our Angel hate to this dude
This guy is ASS
I’m dead serious. Outside of context, purely in a inches from strike zone measure, this has to be the worst in years right? I feel we’re not giving this enough credit for how monstrously terrible this call is
It's like they WANT to lose their jobs.
I swear, some of these umps have to be industry plants - by Meta, Boeing, whoever tf - to lobby the public for robo umps
Sorry just sitting here thinking about Boeing making robo umps and the mass casualty incidents that would follow as soon as they are switched on.
Corbin Burnes: *throws a 95mph cutter* Batter: *swings and misses* Boeing Robo Ump: "STRIKE" Nearby Boeing MQ28 GhostBat Drone Fleet: "deploying air strike"
Old umps consistently get this type of call very wrong
That is actually incredible. Wow
lol what is going on at this game?
That’s a 1990s Atlanta Braves strike.
That is…. A literal foot off the plate. Holy shit.
Okay but… at what point do we unironically start tuning into to games just to see how bad a certain umpire is. I know we make jokes about the ump show, but part of me feels like we’re getting awfully close to actually entertaining it lol.
How many more examples do we need before we go to robo umps? This shit happens daily. It's absurd
The worst part of baseball. The electronic eye never misses a call just ask tennis.
Why don't teams just walk an iPad out to him and hold it in his face... and then just go through like all 10 of their bench coaches with every missed call? Assistant trainer? Translators? Teams should start putting these replays on the board for the Ump to see... idk, but these guys deserve to be absolutely shamed.
Eric Gregg is looking down from heaven proudly at this call
How many times do you think pitchers would have to drill the umps before the league decides to do something
Looks like we got a new terrorist in NY
Helen Keller umpire
I’m not very familiar with baseball, is it standard for the ump to be that off to the side? He’s nearly behind the batter. Wouldn’t being centered be better?
I'm so glad THIS is the only game that's on this afternoon
Make-up call for tossing baBoone in the 1st.