Time for MLB to act as umpiring has been bad |
It is no secret that if you’ve tuned into Marquee Network to watch the Cubs over the last few games, the umpiring has been suspect.
Friday’s 5-2 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field featured a multitude of questionable calls late in the game, potentially costing the Cubs the ability to put some runs on the board. The Cubs finished that game 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, but three of those at-bats ended with questionable calls from the umpires. I understand that in some situations, some pitches are too close to take. When we all played baseball growing up we were taught to “protect the plate” with two strikes. The latest “K zone” technology spoils us into thinking borderline pitches are “egregious” calls one way or the other. But when you have runners on first and second, and Ian Happ takes a pitch off the outside corner that doesn’t come close to the “K zone” box — frustrations are warranted. “I think there were some big calls in this game that were called incorrectly,” said Cubs manager Craig Counsell after Friday’s game. It wasn’t just that pitch to Happ. A 2-2 pitch to Christopher Morel that was caught below his knees was called strike three, running the Cubs out of another potential big inning. When umpire grades came out after the game, a strike-three ball called strike to Nico Hoerner was graded as one of the worst calls made. Former Cub and current Marquee Sports Network analyst Cliff Floyd said, “These are things that are gonna stop you from getting opportunities to score a run.” The Cubs lost that game 5-3 and Saturday’s contest 3-0, which featured some more questionable calls. Many around the league have begun to clamor for a challenge system for balls and strikes or even robotic umpires—at the very least, some sliver of accountability would be nice. “There’s no real repercussions for umpires,” said former Cubs pitcher Jon Lester. “You can be bad, or be okay, and you have a job for as long as you want to do it.” Could MLB implement robotic umpires? The latest reports say not until at least 2026. What about a challenge system for balls and strikes that we’ve seen introduced in the minor leagues? Could that be next for MLB? What about having the umpires meet the media after the game and explain their decisions? Could MLB demote struggling umpires to the minors and promote successful ones, just as organizations do with players? Those questions are yet to be answered. But what we do know is that MLB has to do something.
