Being an umpire is a difficult job. You’re expected to get everything right, and when you make one mistake, it could come under immense scrutiny. For two umpires in the Mexican League, a ball call was so bad it’s hard to grasp it actually happened.
Watch as the home plate, and first base umpire call this swinging strike a ball.
Angel Hernandez getting some side work during the all star break pic.twitter.com/XPWuqIYCK9
— Dan (@AtIantaDan) July 20, 2018
Without question, the batter swung at the pitch. Yes, somehow, the two umpires decided it was a ball. What?
I’d be mad if I was the pitcher too. When a batter swings at a ball and misses, it should be qualified as a strike, not a ball.
The LMB quickly decided the call was unacceptable and suspended the two umpires for the rest of the season.
đź“ť La Liga Mexicana de Beisbol informa sobre las sanciones a los umpires Ulises DomĂnguez y Rodolfo Pastrana, de la Cuarteta 8 https://t.co/LR5asijDvN pic.twitter.com/m6O1bDqQZL
— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) July 18, 2018
A suspension of that magnitude might seem harsh, but in this case, it’s deserved. How do you mess that up? They had literally one job: Call a strike, not a ball.
