We’re just a couple of days into the new Major League Baseball season and an umpire has already made a horrible call behind the plate that directly led to several runs.
During Saturday afternoon’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, Braves pitcher Max Fried was facing Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos with a 2-2 count and two outs when he threw a fastball that looked to be right down the middle. But that’s not the way the home-plate umpire saw it as he called it a ball to push the count to 3-2 and extend the inning.
The next pitch was a ball, giving Castellanos a bases-loaded walk followed by a single from Bryson Stott to score two runs. Fried was removed from the game and the Phillies took a 3-2 lead.
Here is the 2-2 pitch that preceded the Castellanos bases-loaded walk. Fried would have escaped the inning unscathed. Now he exits having recorded just two outs and with the Phillies leading 3-2 in the first. pic.twitter.com/UEPVxElp6s
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 30, 2024
“Here is the 2-2 pitch that preceded the Castellanos bases-loaded walk. Fried would have escaped the inning unscathed. Now he exits having recorded just two outs and with the Phillies leading 3-2 in the first,” Braves beat writer Mark Bowman of MLB.com said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
The good news for the Braves is that they were able to overcome the bad call immediately, scoring three runs in the top of the second inning.
Still, it was a horrible call from the umpire.
