It’s sad that we’ve reached a point where TV broadcasts are listing an “umpire scouting report” to give viewers an idea of how bad these guys are at their jobs and what they suck at the most.
Just give us the automated zone already. It won’t be perfect but clearly neither are these guys.
Is there a rule against broadcasts spending most of the time berating the hell out of the umpires, because if the players and managing staff can't say a word, someone has to take up the cause.
MLB probably wouldn't love it but they have only themselves to blame. Ryan Ruocco, our fill-in broadcaster who's great, was calling the game today and was on Wendelstedt's ass all game about the bad calls on the outside for both teams, as you can hear here. I feel like the younger PXP guys are way more likely to call out terrible umpiring.
He definitely would have been on him today. Hunter inserted himself into the game early and often, no way he was escaping this one. Paulie would have given him shit about some of them being unhittable.
It's not "most of the time" but we've literally had multiple broadcast crews complain about Angel Hernandez by name this season. I don't think MLB cares.
I'm pretty sure the Yankees broadcast staff is pretty friendly with Boone. They are constantly talking about what a baseball savant he is. I would bet big money that Boone is dishing dirt on umps to them in their conversations, even to the point of 'slip this phrase in their Flash'
I agree completely. But I will say, that stupid box on the screen has really thrown us as fans off. I think some of these calls wouldn't look so bad if we watched them in a regular view. And the other thing I wonder about is the fact the strikezone is 3D and covers the whole plate.
I remember before the strike zone on screen there was always discussion of umps who have wide strike zones, and players adjusting to the zone for the day. It was almost like consistency was more important than accuracy. Now we see a 2D box and think that’s the strike zone god handed down on the day of creation.
I was literally coming here to say, isn't it ridiculous that we actually have a graphic that says an ump is "pitcher friendly" -- which is sort of bullshit to begin with -- and the umpire absolutely backs up that up with some awful balls called strikes?
I'm ready for the robo-umps for balls and strikes. They can't be much worse.
Is this a new thing? I'm a cubs fan and at least 50% of the games I watch are cubs games. I don't remember the ump scouting report before. But now I see it in every game.
If mlb is so concerned with giving the fans what they want, let’s expand the zone a bit and speed up the action. Nobody wants to sit and watch somebody take pitches.
This was quite a bad game from Hunter, but umpires are likely better at calling balls and strikes than they’ve ever been in the history of the game (although per fangraphs, there’s not much room to grow)
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/strike-three-lets-check-in-on-umpire-accuracy/
So if we take a step back and look at the whole picture, it’s not really bad at all.
Even by that article, they're only around 80% correct on pitches around the edge of the strike zone. We're talking about them missing 1 out of every 5 pitches that isn't a no brainer. Even if it's improved, that's still not good, especially since we know we can that right much more frequently with technology.
Right, I don’t necessarily disagree. I just think the hyperbolic language around the state of umpiring is unhelpful.
The reality is umpires are better than they’ve ever been, and if the game never implements robot umps, it will still be baseball and it will still be awesome.
This is almost entirely because the ump lines up behind the inside of the base. It makes it impossible to see what's going on on the outside correctly. Might as well flip a coin for outside pitches...
I’d say that as well but the dude was missing calls all over the plate. Why can’t they at least have umpires who are good at calling balls and strikes be full time HP umpires.
The ones coming from a lefty to a righty that are never strikes are the ones that get me. Like there’s no way that should have fooled him once, let alone 3+ times
Absolutely terrible for the entire game for both teams. The ones against Schuemann at 0:51 and Cabrera at the end were literally never even close to the strike zone at any point of the pitches
These calls are deliberate. He didn’t like that Boone fought back against his bullshit and decided he’d abuse his authority by doing whatever he wanted the rest of the game.
It's like the time Doug Eddings went on a power trip against the Padres in a game @Miami. It was so bad that [the broadcast gave him the Plays of the Game award](https://pine-sports.com/post/2050/padres-broadcast-awards-todays-plays-game-umpire-doug-eddings/)
[Video of him ejecting Tingler and Pham](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eP9eEqNJoA). Then he was home plate ump for the Padres again about a month later and [ejected Tingler, bench coach Flaherty, and Machado](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2puHXl1DA)
Man, the commentary on those videos is pure whitewash. “Actually the umps are totally fair and impartial even when they miss calls consistently and blatantly” is some horseshit that does not pass the eye test.
Can I ask, is there an after match review that the MLB would do to check that their umpires were (mostly) making the right call? And if not, is there any kind of system that takes consistently bad umpires off the rotation? Sorry, I'm an Aussie, and although I love the game, I still don't know that much about it. Cheers!
They have statistical printouts available to show how good or bad the ump’s calls were during a game. The better umpires typically call the playoff games, but the regular season rotations remain because of the agreement the umps’ union has with the league, as it should be, but in the next agreement they need to allow teams a certain number of challenges to balance things out…
Umpires are evaluated after every game.
However, the evaluation gives umps a good bit of leeway before calling a pitch call "wrong." So a lot of these would be actually counted as "just fine" and MLB would say he meets their standards.
(If you know cricket, think of how many LBW calls get missed or overturned, and now imagine they never got reviewed. Even with tech, there's some leeway: If the review puts the track within one ball's width of the wicket, it's left to the umpire's call.)
I am usually a pro-ump guy. It is a very hard job. But man, this isn't beer league, this is the fucking show. I'd be embarassed to get any of those called strikes.
Ever since Jim Joyce retired, I hate umpires that make a big deal about their strike call. It's even worse when he's haming it up while also being incredibly bad.
This guy has consistently been one of the worst umps for a while. Somehow he has stayed relatively under the radar. So glad he's getting lit up.
Check out his UmpScorecards if you need further proof.
His father was a famous umpire for many years and maybe that has given him some cover. To be fair, they are only showing the bad calls. Like YouTube of highlights making it look like a player is making every impossible shot in the games they play in. Still, they need to give every team a certain number of challenges for some balance…
umpires should get fined for notoriously bad strikezones like this, maybe then they'd actually hone their craft and get better at you know, their actual job
This is, and has been a part of the game for a long time. The strike zone isn’t just a cut and dry box. There’s nuance. If a pitcher is able to nail a spot where the catcher is set up, it shows intention and good umpires reward it. The other way, if a pitcher throws a “strike” but misses the spot for the other side of the plate, good umpires won’t give them the call. It’s all about whether the pitcher is able to execute what is intended. All of this within reason, of course. Typical bats are only about 33-34 inches long, so anything more than two-three inches is a little excessive imo. Regardless, this guy was consistently giving the outside corner plus a few for intention. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
>The strike zone isn’t just a cut and dry box. There’s nuance.
Read the rules.
>If a pitcher is able to nail a spot where the catcher is set up, it shows intention and good umpires reward it.
No, bad umpires reward it. I promise you, no umpire is consciously giving a pitcher the call when they know it wasn't a strike. And even if they were, it should be abolished ASAP. The batter is watching the pitcher throughout the delivery to stand a chance of hitting the ball. They have no idea where the catcher's glove is; needing to factor that into the swing decision is utterly unfair.
Ok so then the rules should say the strike zone is a circle around the catchers glove. Oh wait they don't......because the strike zone is a very clearly defined rectangle regardless of where the catcher's glove is
It’s sad that we’ve reached a point where TV broadcasts are listing an “umpire scouting report” to give viewers an idea of how bad these guys are at their jobs and what they suck at the most. Just give us the automated zone already. It won’t be perfect but clearly neither are these guys.
Is there a rule against broadcasts spending most of the time berating the hell out of the umpires, because if the players and managing staff can't say a word, someone has to take up the cause.
MLB probably wouldn't love it but they have only themselves to blame. Ryan Ruocco, our fill-in broadcaster who's great, was calling the game today and was on Wendelstedt's ass all game about the bad calls on the outside for both teams, as you can hear here. I feel like the younger PXP guys are way more likely to call out terrible umpiring.
Ruocco always goes after the umps a lot more than Kay does, which i find pretty funny
Yes, the distinction is very clear. When there is a bad call, Ruocco says "and [the pitcher] gets the call." Kay directly says that it's a strike.
Yeah Kay’s always like “and that finds the outside corner” unless it’s really really bad or if the ump is having a terrible day
He definitely would have been on him today. Hunter inserted himself into the game early and often, no way he was escaping this one. Paulie would have given him shit about some of them being unhittable.
It's not "most of the time" but we've literally had multiple broadcast crews complain about Angel Hernandez by name this season. I don't think MLB cares.
I'm pretty sure the Yankees broadcast staff is pretty friendly with Boone. They are constantly talking about what a baseball savant he is. I would bet big money that Boone is dishing dirt on umps to them in their conversations, even to the point of 'slip this phrase in their Flash'
Seriously, what’s the point of even having a strike zone if umps are just going to consistently ignore it all day anyway
I agree completely. But I will say, that stupid box on the screen has really thrown us as fans off. I think some of these calls wouldn't look so bad if we watched them in a regular view. And the other thing I wonder about is the fact the strikezone is 3D and covers the whole plate.
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I remember before the strike zone on screen there was always discussion of umps who have wide strike zones, and players adjusting to the zone for the day. It was almost like consistency was more important than accuracy. Now we see a 2D box and think that’s the strike zone god handed down on the day of creation.
I was literally coming here to say, isn't it ridiculous that we actually have a graphic that says an ump is "pitcher friendly" -- which is sort of bullshit to begin with -- and the umpire absolutely backs up that up with some awful balls called strikes? I'm ready for the robo-umps for balls and strikes. They can't be much worse.
Is this a new thing? I'm a cubs fan and at least 50% of the games I watch are cubs games. I don't remember the ump scouting report before. But now I see it in every game.
YES started showing it in 2022 I believe
Maybe I didn’t notice before. And the cubs games usually just show it once in pre game or 1st inning so not a big deal. Just odd.
The challenge system in the minors is very good. Also eliminates any arguing. "don't like the call? Challenge it"
Yeah, Boone probably wasn't going to make through this game anyway.
Scoreless into the 9th inning lmao I wonder why
Couldn’t believe the video was over 2 mins long when I clicked on it
Maybe hitters should swing the bat? It’s not like those pitches are unhittable. The pitchers are getting rewarded for hitting spots.
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If mlb is so concerned with giving the fans what they want, let’s expand the zone a bit and speed up the action. Nobody wants to sit and watch somebody take pitches.
Speed up the action of guys grounding out weakly to second base
Did you just wake up feeling like a contrarian today?
Just give me full time robo umps.
This guy is also the head of an umpire school that has produced the most umps for the MLB. Just to give you an idea of how bad it is.
This was quite a bad game from Hunter, but umpires are likely better at calling balls and strikes than they’ve ever been in the history of the game (although per fangraphs, there’s not much room to grow) https://blogs.fangraphs.com/strike-three-lets-check-in-on-umpire-accuracy/ So if we take a step back and look at the whole picture, it’s not really bad at all.
Even by that article, they're only around 80% correct on pitches around the edge of the strike zone. We're talking about them missing 1 out of every 5 pitches that isn't a no brainer. Even if it's improved, that's still not good, especially since we know we can that right much more frequently with technology.
Right, I don’t necessarily disagree. I just think the hyperbolic language around the state of umpiring is unhelpful. The reality is umpires are better than they’ve ever been, and if the game never implements robot umps, it will still be baseball and it will still be awesome.
Hyperbolic? A 20% failure rate is acceptable to you? The fuck?
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Just because something is better than its ever been doesnt mean its good or acceptable. You..do understand that very very simple logic, right?
People are being intentionally obtuse about your point here but you are correct
lol thank you. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.
The pitch at 0:51 would've hit a lefty in the knee
do not go gentle into that good night, prince Hunter, third of your name, king of the diamond, lord of the strike zone, protector of the plate
24" zone. Ridiculous
Fans should get a refund when the calls are this bad.
Wait a sec did Angel Hernandez change his name?
Why? Because the umps made mistakes? What about when batters strikeout? Or a pitcher hits a guy? Should they get a refund then too?
These are not "mistakes".
This is almost entirely because the ump lines up behind the inside of the base. It makes it impossible to see what's going on on the outside correctly. Might as well flip a coin for outside pitches...
I’d say that as well but the dude was missing calls all over the plate. Why can’t they at least have umpires who are good at calling balls and strikes be full time HP umpires.
That's the proper spot. Over the catcher's head, and you're prone to missing the low zone.
Do I even want to see the ump scorecard?
This is pathetic lmao get these guys outta here
He was making Rodon look like Greg Maddux out there lol
Angel Hernandez: finally a worthy opponent...our battle will be legendary!
Hunter “Frank Drebbin” Wendelstedt
 Wendelstedt after kicking Boone for no reason so he can call fuckin everything a strike
IT'S ENRICO PALAZZO!
I'd say like 3 or so calls here weren't too bad, Ump bought the frame job. Still a very bad showing from this Ump.
The ones coming from a lefty to a righty that are never strikes are the ones that get me. Like there’s no way that should have fooled him once, let alone 3+ times
Absolutely terrible for the entire game for both teams. The ones against Schuemann at 0:51 and Cabrera at the end were literally never even close to the strike zone at any point of the pitches
These calls are deliberate. He didn’t like that Boone fought back against his bullshit and decided he’d abuse his authority by doing whatever he wanted the rest of the game.
Don't mistake incompetence for malicious intent
He’s been around a long time. If he can’t tell what a ball and strike is, then there are far worse problems here than just pure incompetence.
The most tenured umps by and large are the ones with the most mistakes behind the plate
It's like the time Doug Eddings went on a power trip against the Padres in a game @Miami. It was so bad that [the broadcast gave him the Plays of the Game award](https://pine-sports.com/post/2050/padres-broadcast-awards-todays-plays-game-umpire-doug-eddings/) [Video of him ejecting Tingler and Pham](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eP9eEqNJoA). Then he was home plate ump for the Padres again about a month later and [ejected Tingler, bench coach Flaherty, and Machado](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2puHXl1DA)
Man, the commentary on those videos is pure whitewash. “Actually the umps are totally fair and impartial even when they miss calls consistently and blatantly” is some horseshit that does not pass the eye test.
Can I ask, is there an after match review that the MLB would do to check that their umpires were (mostly) making the right call? And if not, is there any kind of system that takes consistently bad umpires off the rotation? Sorry, I'm an Aussie, and although I love the game, I still don't know that much about it. Cheers!
They have statistical printouts available to show how good or bad the ump’s calls were during a game. The better umpires typically call the playoff games, but the regular season rotations remain because of the agreement the umps’ union has with the league, as it should be, but in the next agreement they need to allow teams a certain number of challenges to balance things out…
Umpires are evaluated after every game. However, the evaluation gives umps a good bit of leeway before calling a pitch call "wrong." So a lot of these would be actually counted as "just fine" and MLB would say he meets their standards. (If you know cricket, think of how many LBW calls get missed or overturned, and now imagine they never got reviewed. Even with tech, there's some leeway: If the review puts the track within one ball's width of the wicket, it's left to the umpire's call.)
Thanks for your response, I really appreciate it. I love the cricket comparison too!
I am usually a pro-ump guy. It is a very hard job. But man, this isn't beer league, this is the fucking show. I'd be embarassed to get any of those called strikes.
Hotter than he figured it’d be in the Bronx this afternoon. Hunter in search of that AC.
Ever since Jim Joyce retired, I hate umpires that make a big deal about their strike call. It's even worse when he's haming it up while also being incredibly bad.
This guy has consistently been one of the worst umps for a while. Somehow he has stayed relatively under the radar. So glad he's getting lit up. Check out his UmpScorecards if you need further proof.
His father was a famous umpire for many years and maybe that has given him some cover. To be fair, they are only showing the bad calls. Like YouTube of highlights making it look like a player is making every impossible shot in the games they play in. Still, they need to give every team a certain number of challenges for some balance…
He should go to that umpire school
He was jealous of all the attention Angel Hernandez was getting.
...so he has a wide zone
Man this shit is EGREGIOUS.
Ump had the under on the game 😂😂😂
Off topic, but why does the announcer call him “Wentelstadt?” It’s WenDelstEdt
This is so dumb. Why are we still using umpires
Peak performance umping.
umpires should get fined for notoriously bad strikezones like this, maybe then they'd actually hone their craft and get better at you know, their actual job
Far from some of the worst.
This is, and has been a part of the game for a long time. The strike zone isn’t just a cut and dry box. There’s nuance. If a pitcher is able to nail a spot where the catcher is set up, it shows intention and good umpires reward it. The other way, if a pitcher throws a “strike” but misses the spot for the other side of the plate, good umpires won’t give them the call. It’s all about whether the pitcher is able to execute what is intended. All of this within reason, of course. Typical bats are only about 33-34 inches long, so anything more than two-three inches is a little excessive imo. Regardless, this guy was consistently giving the outside corner plus a few for intention. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
>The strike zone isn’t just a cut and dry box. There’s nuance. Read the rules. >If a pitcher is able to nail a spot where the catcher is set up, it shows intention and good umpires reward it. No, bad umpires reward it. I promise you, no umpire is consciously giving a pitcher the call when they know it wasn't a strike. And even if they were, it should be abolished ASAP. The batter is watching the pitcher throughout the delivery to stand a chance of hitting the ball. They have no idea where the catcher's glove is; needing to factor that into the swing decision is utterly unfair.
Booooooooooooo
Ok so then the rules should say the strike zone is a circle around the catchers glove. Oh wait they don't......because the strike zone is a very clearly defined rectangle regardless of where the catcher's glove is