Home plate umpire Paul Emmel was caught losing count of balls and strikes during Monday night's MLB game at Kauffman Stadium when he rang up Cleveland Indians batter Lonnie Chisenhall even though there were only two strikes.
It happened in the top of the fifth with two outs and a 3-1 count on Chisenhall. Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar threw a pitch right down the middle, and Emmel made a strike three call. The Royals started heading to the dugout while Chisenhall pointed out the mistake to Emmel, leading to some awkwardness as the Royals had to turn around and line up in their positions again. In the end, Chisenhall struck out swinging, so no harm, no foul.
It's rare that a home plate umpire loses count of balls and strikes, but it does happen from time to time. That doesn't make it any less embarrassing, considering it's one of the most important jobs of the home plate umpire.
Video via MLB.com.
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Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
