An X account that judges officiating has deemed a home plate umpire’s strike call Monday “the worst.” (Watch the video below.)
Many who watched the clip agreed the call was horrendous, but some viewers figured umpire Scott Barry was merely trying to speed up a lopsided game.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Rowdy Tellez, normally a first baseman, was on the mound with his team trailing the Chicago Cubs, 15-6, in the ninth inning.
Tellez tossed the pitch to Cubs batter Patrick Wisdom as if it were beer league batting practice. In the words of Bob Uecker in “Major League”: It was “just a bit outside!”
Well, a lot outside, actually.
“Umpire Scott Barry called the worst strike in Umpire Auditor history,” according to the account, which has been around since 2014, as Sports Illustrated noted. “This lob from Rowdy Tellez missed the strike zone by 14.6 inches.”
The call was so off that one announcer could be heard asking in disbelief, “Did he call a strike?”
“C’mon,” his colleague said.
Some fans made comparisons to the recently retired Angel Hernandez, considered by some to be “the worst umpire of all-time.”
Hey, fans, take it easy. It’s just one call.
Tellez, incidentally, could have used any help he could get. He forced in a run by hitting a batter and another by walking a batter. The final score was Cubs 18, Pirates 8.
