Need more evidence that major league baseball umpires are completely horrendous this season? Thanks to a crew of incompetent umpires in L.A. who weren't able to track of the count, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy needed four strikes to record a strikeout on Los Angeles Dodgers batter Yasiel Puig during the fourth inning of Tuesday night's game.
To recap: Puig fouled the first pitch, then swung and missed on the second pitch to go down 0-2. The third pitch was in the dirt and nearly got away from Montero, making the count 1-2. Or at least, it should have been, but home plate umpire Clint Fagan had a different count than everybody else.
Fagan apparently felt that the first pitch was not fouled off Puig's bat, but rather bounced off catcher Miguel Montero's mitt, meaning the first pitch was a ball in his mind and the count was 2-1. D-backs catcher Miguel Montero and manager Kirk Gibson came to argue their case, leading Fagan to consult with the rest of the umpires for assistance. In the end, however, the rest of the crew backed Fagan, so the D-backs argument was to no avail.
Here's the thing: The Dodgers had a runner on first base at the time. If Puig didn't foul the first pitch, that would mean the ball must have bounced off Montero's mitt, but wouldn't Montero have to run after it to track it down? And wouldn't the Dodgers runner have tried to advance? It's painfully obvious that Fagan got this one wrong, and was somehow able to convince the other umpires to back him up.
Despite the adjustment in the count due to the umpire error, the scoreboard count still read 1-2. After Puig swung and missed for what should have been strike three, the scoreboard was brought in line with the umpire's count to read 2-2. Puig then swung and missed one last time to finally end the at-bat with a strikeout, on what technically was STRIKE FOUR.
There's nothing worse than a home plate umpire who can't keep track of the count. Apparently the new rule is four strikes and you're out. What's next: five balls for a walk? Might as well throw away the rulebook. MLB needs to do something, because this is a complete embarrassment.
Video via MLB.
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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.
