MLB’s Umpire Problem Has Gotten Worse….

[@adamhustler3639]

"Fastball right down the middle for ball one" ... said without the slightest hint of shock, lmfao

[@nortoncancellation]

That line had me dying LOL

[@Rockhound6165]

Harry Kalas used to say that all the time. "Right over the plate for a ball."

[@adamhustler3639]

@@Rockhound6165 Is that who it is that's saying it in this video?

[@Rockhound6165]

@@adamhustler3639 no. Harry had passed away long before these plays.

[@philipearlmcg3964]

Classic

[@DontTreadOnUsBlog]

Baseball is a game of traditions, right? Well, in the early days of baseball, it was traditional for fans to come onto the field of play and beat the shit out of umpires for bad calls. Lets bring that tradition back.

[@peskytalk]

😭😭 1800s baseball must’ve been the most ridiculous thing on planet earth 😭😭

[@TRivera13]

​@@peskytalkNo this was in the 1900s too. Babe Ruth was suspended for attacking an umpire.

[@TRivera13]

Interestingly umpires getting beat up led to the creation of the Yankees.

[@patrickledonne5547]

Entirely factual and that part of baseball lives on to this day. Verbal abuse of umpires by team players and officials is far less tolerated in every other major sport, and is penalized more severely. The worst that happens in baseball is an individual is punished. In every other sport the team is assessed a punishment. Technical foul, 15 yards unsportsmanlike conduct, 2-5 minute penalty for unsportsmanlike. There is no real game penalty to the team if a coach or manager has an outburst at an umpire.

[@dougfowler1368]

​@peskytalk Yes, I remember reading of a sign in one ballpark in the 1880s, "Pplease do not kill the Empire. He is doing the best he can."

[@tetchypoo]

“Fastball is right down the middle for ball one” delivered with absolutely no inflection is my new favorite thing I’ve heard from an announcer.

[@jakobquick6875]

IMO gambling (long tradition in baseball) has a major part in these terrible calls.

[@thatmitsubishikid2498]

@@jakobquick6875considering umpires can almost control the game I wouldn’t doubt most umps having money on games

[@zubiproductions9440]

Umpires union shouldn’t be called a union. Should be called diplomatic immunity. Never seen anything so egregious where you literally can’t be fired for being terrible at your job and still rack in 6 figures. Most umpires are actually pretty good at what they do. But for the select few, they’re straight up ruining the game.

[@peskytalk]

They’re all good, that’s the tough part, it’s like a bad MLB player, he’s still GREAT at baseball, but it’s just, not good enough for the highest level 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@bobhillenbrand1112]

Little Leaguers can call better than many MLB umps. Actually.

[@NicEeEe843]

That’s how most unions work. It’s becomes very hard to fire people that need to be let go

[@slimslanginslinky]

@@peskytalkI understand this argument for any ump except Angel Hernandez. This would be like an MLB team signing a random men’s softball league player and refusing to cut him when he’s hitting .089 because he’s well… you know…

[@556guy]

Ever check out the teacher unions??

[@dillionedmonds5736]

Solution to the problem is teams outright refusing to play with certain umpires. Would force MLB to fire the entire union before long.

[@Redpoppy80]

Teams are too broad. Are you referring to owners or players? Each one has entirely different reasons for being silent to this.

[@dillionedmonds5736]

@@Redpoppy80 in cases like the Aaron Boone ejection the entire team should flat out refused to play under the Umpire as he has shown such a blatant bias against them that they are never going to get a fairly called game where that umpire is involved. If a few teams just start flat out refusing to take the field unless certain umpires are removed from a game (Which can happen as it has in the minor leagues) it wouldn't take long before the MLB Commissioner would be forced to replace the entire Umpire staff. No union can protect you if the entire union is fired, they might have to payout a fine, but they would lose much more revenue for entire games just not being played at all.

[@Redpoppy80]

@@dillionedmonds5736 Ok, if you are talking about the players themselves then I will point to the Players union discussion of 2022 where the Union had a number of complaints and demands to play games, and while they did get some minor concessions they allowed themselves to be screwed by the MLB owners in order to avoid a general strike when that was the ONLY way they were going to get their demands met. The reason they capitulated in their demands was because in their words, playing the game is their highest priority. That is, it. Now that is incomprehensible to me but that means that they will put up with the nonsense of current baseball including the umpire drama because not putting up with it means not playing baseball. Don't take my word for it, just look up the 2022 MLB Player VS Owners discussions. Logic is not the driving force behind the players union decisions here. Beyond that players of a team can't just decide among themselves to boycott a game because a bad umpire is calling, that is not how baseball works. The owners would have the players heads on pikes if they walked out without support from the Players Union.

[@mikekraner3966]

That's a violation of the collective bargaining agreement between everyone involved. So no.

[@BIGHEADjr51]

Ya totally lol

[@nunzi83]

You know umpiring is getting worse and worse when the fans start knowing there names. Big problem also is some of these umpires are trying to make things about themselves. They must think ppl are showing up to games and watching them bc of them. Smh.

[@randomstuff508]

Not necessarily. Do you know who Pat Hoberg is? He's been consistently one of the best and most accurate umpires behind the plate as of late. We SHOULD know who the umpires are. We should know who the good ones are vs the bad ones.

[@teclishighloremasterofhoet7488]

@@randomstuff508exactly. This is the worst part of people who love to push this anti umpire narrative. Evetyone harps on the worst, most glaring examples. The average umpire is getting better and better. It’s the old guys like Angel who suck. I expect that as these younger guys get more in line with the tech, they will be just fine.

[@Mickeysdelicatecare]

MLB is tricking viewers into thinking these are bad calls. Use your brains. Do you know it is possible for a curve ball to hit the dirt, but still cross the plate high enough at the front end to be called a strike? Maybe none of you ever played baseball

[@mrjjman2010]

Happens In boxing and MMA with refs also

[@bIametheniIe]

No. You're failing victim to some cognitive biases like the availability heuristic bias and frequency illusion. You assert umps are getting worse based on seeing a bunch of videos showing bad calls when umps actually aren't getting worse. You also assert that because people know umps names because they're getting worse when in reality, some people know their names due to the thousands of videos and articles about umps. Others have known umps names by simply paying attention. In other words, your reasoning is massively flawed.

[@Itdoesntmatter48]

I'm 48 years old, so I've watched a LOT of baseball in my lifetime. I will never understand why teams won't refuse to take the field. If there's a consistently bad plate umpire about to call your game, don't go on the field. Both teams forfeit. Can you imagine how quickly both unions and mlb would jump to fix things? Talk about losing money hand over fist. Things would get fixed real quick.

[@bigbeezredsox]

Bc then mlb would just start fining teams and players or suspending them or both.. then the owners would have a breach claim with the players and coaches.. it just would never happen.

[@Itdoesntmatter48]

@@bigbeezredsox Probably. But MLB would also be in breach of contract... TV deals among them. Now what do you think they'd be more concerned with, fines of teams and players, or being sued from media outlets for not putting actual games on TV? All because the ump union won't do something about these umpires. The situation would get fixed with a very real quickness

[@wraithstrongopark]

@@Itdoesntmatter48 word. you gotta have balls(no pun intended)to affect change. . . umpires are the cops of baseball. generally unaccountable and fuck you.

[@kevinbushracing58]

I'm 63

[@paintballdude227]

You are a genius

[@AirbornChaos]

Angel Hernandez: I miss 4 calls a game Reality: He missed every 4th call a game.

[@Mickeysdelicatecare]

Not really. Sliders and curve balls are not correctly represented by the little circle shown on TV. That is where the catcher caught it, NOT where it crossed the plate.

[@pogotf]

@@Mickeysdelicatecare simply not true

[@icaanul]

Announcer goes.... "Fastball is right down the middle for ball 1." I lmao'd

[@SSNESS]

You don’t make the rules

[@SONICX1027]

We Red Sox fans remember Laz Diaz all too well, for all the wrong reasons

[@BenPlaysShorts]

True

[@firemanking3271]

one of the best sound bites ever, "fastball right down the center for ball one"

[@davidkirst1077]

“Fastball is right down the middle for ball one” 😂😂😂

[@SSNESS]

What’s your point

[@paulready8897]

The teams need to boycott the games

[@BIGHEADjr51]

Waaaah 😂

[@HydraDominus]

​@@BIGHEADjr51angel hernandez burner? Is that you?

[@thomasmaple5250]

With one swing of the bat we'll never hear about an ump calling a bad game ever again

[@BIGHEADjr51]

Ya hit the ball stop whining

[@AdderTude]

@@BIGHEADjr51 Why try to hit a ball that's a foot outside the plate and still called a strike?

[@bobsyoruncle4583]

Baseball has always used umpires behind the plate because they needed a way to arbitrate balls and strikes, and they had no other method of doing so. The idea has always been to have a clearly defined strike zone and identify balls and strikes as accurately as possible so that the outcome of games is determined in accordance with the rules. The introduction of the visual electronic strike zone decades ago has put on full display the extent to which umpires are incapable of accurately identifying a large percentage of both balls and strikes in virtually every game across the league. The 2d strikebox would immediately eliminate 95% of these errors, but they already have a 3d version which covers all portions of the plate for late-breaking off-speed pitches that might catch the back end. The automated strike zone rewards good pitching and plate discipline by hitters - umpires punish both. The "traditionalists" want incompetent umpiring to go on determining the outcome of games, but the full introduction of the electronic strike zone would be so seamless it would practically go unnoticed. There would still be an umpire behind the plate calling balls and strikes - the only difference is that he would be relaying the call instantaneously from the auto-strike system via an ear-piece. This talk about a "challenge" system is just a way to perpetuate the problem and cause lots of unnecessary delays - if the auto-strike zone is going to be the final determiner of challenges then just let it do the job the whole game.

[@hanke2588]

Umpires should never be noticed in the game. It seems like they are showboating.

[@Mickeysdelicatecare]

Angel is calling the pitches correctly. It's the little circle shown on TV that is tricking viewers into thinking they are bad calls

[@rangerk9671]

@@Mickeysdelicatecarewhat about the fast balls down the middle and ones in the dirt before they even pass the player? I get sliders and curves but c'mon you can tell a fastball from any angel of its a strike or not

[@ChipNov1998]

This system needs to change. I would not be surprised if it comes to physical blows

[@lnnocentBloomingFIower-fyday1]

Finally someone’s covering this. Something has seemed very off this season... I’ve seen so many strikes counted as balls and vise versa. It’s getting ridiculous.

[@rob.m.jarvis]

I have not watched in five years and I will not return until umpires are gone. I just cannot watch the incompetence.

[@mightya]

Prevent the worst ball/strike umps from working the plate. Send them to 2nd base with the appropriate cut in salary.

[@77dlawson]

The fact managers can’t even officially protest anymore is ridiculous.

[@tincantantan]

This man is criminally underrated how do you only have 2k subscribers

[@peskytalk]

Thank you 🤝

[@eugenerichards3977]

Until umps are held accountable people should stop attending games

[@aggeolukas]

This is the best comment so far

[@BigD509631]

What's funny is the last few player ejections I've seen were for them arguing when the "robot" confirmed the umpire's call.

[@BIGHEADjr51]

Exactly

[@williamchilcott2833]

It was announced yesterday Angel Hernandez is retiring effective immediately.

[@peskytalk]

Yes sir

[@MikeRay1978]

Fastball right down the middle for ball one. lol

[@starbéreux]

Ball way off the plate, strike one lol.

[@rweisele]

Well, when they install the electronic pitch/strike calling system it will knock out the sneaky catcher who is so adept at catching the ball and dragging his glove over the plate so the Umpire only sees that his glove indicates a strike when in fact it was a ball 3 inches outside of the box, but the quick handed catcher was able to make it look like it was a strike. That will bring a great deal of fairness back to the game for the pitchers that are the ones who get robbed the worst because of the statistics that are slanted instead of being factual. Then it will also help the batters who have a very inate sense of whether the ball is over the plate, edge of the plate of too high or too low, and it gets called a strike when it isn't.

[@VoidStaredBack]

Angel and Bob GOTTA go. I'm ready for the robots.

[@VoidStaredBack]

and Joe West. He can go retire.

[@peskytalk]

Joe west has already retired!

[@VoidStaredBack]

@@peskytalk just saying that he was a horrible ump as well, should have specified.

[@wadeenyart9676]

Please make a CB Bucknor video. I love his facial expressions when he doesnt know what to call. he reminds me of leslie nielson umpiring in 1 of the naked gun movies

[@juggernawttt]

Angel needs to return,, he’s a pitchers umpire 👍🏽

[@myghkl]

I'd like to know more about how and why the no-fault contract with the MLBUA got signed. I'm pretty sure complete immunity from termination doesn't exist in any other industry. I also would like to know who decides to send an umpire down to the minors and who's getting kickbacks from Hernandez, Bucknor and others.

[@rustyshackelford3371]

Those umps have dirt on their supervisors. That's how they get away with their incompetence.

[@rustyshackelford3371]

Ok, KZbin, why you immediately deleting my comments here?

[@AdderTude]

"Complete immunity from termination" exists with teachers unions. If a teacher isn't caught doing something illegal or NSFW, they practically can't be fired if they suck at their jobs.

[@bigjared8946]

"complete immunity from termination doesn't exist in any other industry" wait until you hear about the police...

[@patrickledonne5547]

In a game where players are replaced if they're not good enough or if their performance falters, umpires should be held to the same criteria. When evaluating umpires extra emphasis should be put on balls and strikes and other non reviewable plays. Bad calls on bang bang plays at 1B are fixable with replay. A bad strike zone is not. If they dont make muster, demote them to AAA for development and give the top umpiring prospects a shot

[@peskytalk]

Agreed!

[@COOP416]

Actually a strike zone can be fixed with AI calling. So easy to fix this situation.

[@robertthetrucker6534]

All sports has become a joke. Baseball can’t call a strike&balls, NFL doesn’t know what a legal hit or catches are, NBA doesn’t know what a good scene is and MSL, doesn’t know what a fake fouls is. We the fans need to stop watching sports for a while and franchise’s owners will get the message.

[@richardphillips4367]

It would be great that at least one series a year boycott it no attendance but people that don't care about the umps or refs just fare about money soooo will never happen

[@frankdalton483]

We have had the technology to remove the ump for the plate for 15yrs the union just won’t give up the useless employees

[@Dustin_Platt]

In 15~ years or so, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, the Umpire Union. Will be gone.. in SOME capacity, whether a different collective agreement or, hopefully, the MLB finds something better, and baseball will be controlled completely by AI and sensors. Or by kids because umps these day are both little cry babies and can't see a ball traveling 90~ MPH in the right spot behind the catcher, probably because the kids can't see over the catcher. Whatever. Robot Baseball League. RBL. 2041 The MLB will never or can't dissolve their little union, but there needs to be better punishment for being a totally worthless umpire. More than 15% missed Ball/Strike call = 15-game unpaid suspension Starting or instigating a player to the point of ejection = 3 month suspension / fine Being Angel Hernandez = 162 game suspension for 35 years. Also, according to MLB: "As of March 2024, the average salary for a Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire is around $300,000, with a starting salary of $150,000 and long-term veterans earning up to $450,000. Umpires who work in the postseason can earn up to $500,000 per year" Umpires who disrespect the game should be fined enough to make them think of their choices. Say 20% of yearly salary fine. Just something. We all are tired of these idiots. I mean, besides salaries, what has changed for their union since 1970 when it was created? I mean the ONLY reason it was created was because of greed because NBA refs were getting paid like $100 more than MLB umps or because of postseason games. God. I'm sorry. I hate every single beady eyed, God-Complex, man child that we call umps.

[@ericwarren715]

I don’t see why major-league baseball can’t just go completely, and totally electronic and do away with all the umpires and the umpires union.

[@ericwarren715]

@LemonStir I work in a factory I build driveshafts for a living and trust me. My industry is well on its way to being mostly robotic.

[@ericwarren715]

@LemonStir And if the umpires union is unwilling to do something about the three or four umpires that are destroying the integrity of the game then the hell with them do away with them all.

[@city6291]

Agreed, umpires should only be on the field to convey balls, strikes, and outs as the computer tells them as well as handling the people stuff. Balls, strikes should be electronic for sure like goal line technology for soccer.

[@randomstuff508]

I'd like to see a robot interpret the many rules that baseball has.

[@randomstuff508]

​@city6291 you do know that balls, strikes, and outs are not the only thing calls in a game, right? And that out calls have countless nuances to each situation? Will a computer be able to make the call that a runner was out on a bang bang steal of second in an instant? Even with replay, the call is still interpreted by a human.

[@entropysmith6965]

If fans would get together and boycott MLB, until they address the umpire issue,things would change real quick. People aren’t willing to give up the instant gratification of watching games though, In order to improve the product as a whole.

[@MB-ed2qj]

Umpires are like Weather men. They can be 50% right and still keep they're job.

[@queueeeee9000]

Check swing at 10:36 is a bad example. 1) the angle of the camera is not perpendicular to home plate. 2) Harper's swing is really close. His wrists seem to be past the plate, which is what matters. Doesnt matter about the angle of the bat, its if the bat in general crosses the plate. Thats kind of why a bunt is a strike even if the bat isn't angled past the plate.

[@tombuchmann8248]

I can't watch a game anymore. Rule changes have changed the professional game to that what is now the equivalent of a t-ball league. Pretty soon you will see 4 foul balls is an out. I also feel the umpires have no idea what they are doing. I recall a certain Portland Longshoreman union going on strike and the largest terminal on the west coast had the carpet pulled out from under them when the whole operation closed and moved to Long Beach. These umps will soon see the game transition to the camera and video. Strike zone sensors with one bang for a strike and two bangs for a ball replicating sounds of a Houston garbage can.

[@MegaDog2012]

So umpires are kinda like cops, way too much power and ego maniacs

[@andrewbloom7694]

6:36 Everything else aside though this is one of the funniest clips in baseball history. I refuse to change my mind on this lol

[@agressiveprogressive]

They (the MLB) will only notice and change when these umps cost them money. How can that happen? We stop going to games and/or watching them.

[@H.C.-Transparency]

The umpires union is like qualified immunity on a police officer

[@AdderTude]

But much worse.

[@tracyhaines2780]

Strike zones change depending on the size of the batter. Is this the case. That square looks the same for every batter

[@hicks72004]

Those calls at the top of the strike zone ARE strikes. The strike zone isn't the stupid box they put on the TV lol

[@Nick77ab2]

i've seen that slide so many times. tbh at this point it looks like he was tagged on the leg/groin right before his foot hit the base, the glove then came off of him and then tagged him more clearly on the other leg after the foot was on the base.

[@slyjokerg]

There is a shitload of bad umpires... most of them, actually... but it isn't just about missing calls. It is about HOW BAD the calls are. The at bat with Wyatt Langford is about as bad as anyone has ever fucked up calling strikes. Angel Hernandez makes countless HORRENDOUS calls every game he is behind the plate, and he is awful when manning one of the other bases as well. Some ump might miss more calls that are close, but that isn't the be all and end all of it. The obvious gaffes by Hernandez are so frequent and so consistently bad that he is on a planet by himself.

[@evankline-ew2rg]

i absolutely Love how a Boston college student pool did a research report on this stuff.. absolute gold.

[@tonyb2109]

That JT Realmuto one was in FREAKING SPRING TRAINING!! Umpires have disgraced this game to the fullest! They have even bigger egos than cops! Well...that's a close race

[@Vancouverallday]

Well then give those umpires augment reality glasses, with the strike zone in it. We all see ppl with it on looking weird lol

[@Morgan423Z]

O's fan who watched that play at the end of the O's/Angels game here, and yeah, this proved for me that the replay guys don't have basic object permanency, like they're three months old or something. That one angle was conclusive. 1) Gunnar Henderson gets the ball, runner foot not yet on bag. Tag sweep begins. 2) Henderson's tag briefly obstructs the view of the bag as the play continues. 3) Tag clears camera view of base just before / right at tag, and the runner's foot is already on the bag when it comes back into view. So just because the foot hitting the bag happened while the camera view was obstructed, it doesn't count? It obviously happened pre-tag (that's how the flow of time in our universe works), so who cares if the foot was camera blocked at the exact moment it arrived? It's ridiculous, and MLB had better get it together.

[@peskytalk]

Lacking basic object permanency 😭😭😭 That might be my favorite comment I’ve ever received

[@DavidAlba-u4q]

As someone who bets, it’s ridiculous. Home plate umps are missing on average 15 pitches a game. Changes the whole at bat

[@ronswinford4952]

The Umpires Union and MLB are to blame for this. Some of the egos these guys have is unbelievable, but when you have so many really bad umps that keep their job year after year, they think they are untouchable and act that way. Want to stop it, fire the bottom third of the umpires one day, call up guys from the minors to replace them. Offer the fired umps one chance to go down to A ball and re-learn how to call games, if they refuse, they are done.

[@Baseballify]

HE RETIRED LETS GO

[@peskytalk]

I’d like the assist for that one 💀💀

[@Baseballify]

@@peskytalk Fr you and BDE

[@peskytalk]

I was batting third, BDE was batting cleanup

[@Greenday4537]

Umpires are ruining baseball more than any rule change we've seen

[@peskytalk]

I agree, but it’s also fun….

[@ghostofmoredishesmorebitch1507]

They're better than ever, stats don't lie.

[@Shaw_111]

Parents,fans,announcers,players, and coaches, are ruining the game of baseball. The umpires are human and make mistakes. Not only do they make mistakes I can bet over 99% of people who complain has never been behind the plate or on a field to make one single call. It’s not as easy as people think. Do you know how many people go to umpire camp?do you know how many people make it? Do you know how much training these guys get every year? I would say you probably don’t. Most of the ball and strike calls that these umpires get wrong are barely missed. For you to say umpires are ruining the game tells me you never umpired behind the plate calling a big league game, and would never understand how tough it is.

[@kennethsmith8968]

@@Shaw_111 getting a casll wrongf every now and again is ok but when u r consistantly wrong their is a problem.

[@ghostofmoredishesmorebitch1507]

@@kennethsmith8968 they're correct 96% of the time, look it up.

[@liamburke1436]

Boston UNIVERSITY not Boston COLLEGE. Every damn time…

[@davidpa9266]

The Angels/Orioles tag looked like the runner's left leg got clipped before his foot hit the bag. It was shown from an awful angle, but that's what seemed to happen.

[@tylerguzda]

Who’s here after the Judge ejection 👇

[@peskytalk]

That was pretty awful

[@OrsilloFanClub]

He was disbarred from the game

[@billyskittles1036]

No one cares about ol’ “shifty eyes/throw my hand up and bat down a thrown ball” Judge.

[@SDCarlin]

The way Umpire scheduling works is that there are two CREWS of Umpires in the replay booth on any day, and MLB will not release the names of them. Shameful.

[@detroitpolak9904]

Hard to believe Hernandez WASN’T responsible for Armando Galarraga not pitching a perfect game.

[@BobPrice-b7f]

Wondering if these umps are all in cahoots to make wrong calls on purpose

[@peskytalk]

Probably not… but it would be crazy

[@Redpoppy80]

Clips from Umpires gathered over the years. Suggest that No. It is not on purpose. But Umpires also have no innate force demanding them to perform to an accepted or consistent standard. If an Umpire screws up, they all just go "Se La Vie", shrug their shoulders and move on to the next day. They are far more concerned about keeping order in a game and not having people curse at them. They are also extremely tight nit and anything that offends ONE Umpire offends them ALL. In their minds all of them are as good as their best umpire reality be damned.

[@HiThereFaceHere]

I have no doubt that since all this online sports betting started that umps are betting on games

[@TheChefMTF]

One of the biggest problems is catchers pitch framing and the ump falling for it

[@lastbestplace8112]

Wouldn’t doubt if umps are being paid off to throw calls…

[@SlugCult718]

It's not a question of who has the most impact on a game. It's a question of who do the fans pay hard earned cash to come see play? Nobody shells out a few hundred bucks to take their family to see the umpires. They come to see the PLAYERS. And when an ump ejects them for ego reasons, it's robbing the fans of that experience.

[@onehitterquitter2130]

The fans need to boycot. It will never happen.

[@cAmaN18rEaL]

Aaron boone is a savage and i love it

[@22friz91]

whats the instrumental playing during 4:37 ?

[@peskytalk]

Halloween clown circus on Epidemic Sounds!

[@icaanul]

The younger umpires better start confronting these horrible old timers or they will be out of their jobs(replaced by computer) and those old timers will still be getting their pension.

[@stevek28]

There has to be an engineer who can develop a heads up display built into the umps mask that correlates with the strike zone computer system.

[@AwesomeActsOfRandom]

This is something that always confused me growing up, the ball is clearly in the zone and it gets called a ball and visa versa, I always wondered what the hell does the box on the screen mean then and what even is a strike if it can be outside the zone? never understood it cause I don't really watch sports, but you know sometimes friends or family want to watch so you end up watching too.

[@HHSGDFootballJPD]

The box is our general idea of what the strike zone should be, but it is superimposed on the screen. The umpire has their own feel for what the strike zone is, and pitchers knew the veteran umpires so they knew if their outside pitches were likely to get called a strike.

[@sunny3545]

11:30 "We're only like 25 days into the season" How long ago did you record this? Some teams have more than 35 games played as of today.

[@peskytalk]

It took me a bit of time, about a week ago I did the voice over, been super super busy!!

[@sunny3545]

@@peskytalk Good video regardless! 🙏

[@garybugden9451]

I hear you but no matter the size of the batter the eltronic strike zone is always the same size

[@thatguyineverycommentssection]

just imagine how umpiring would have been back then if cars looked different

[@WowOafus]

As someone who is very pro-union, the umpire union needs to go. Unions should only be protecting them from bullshit excuses for firing. Legit reasons shouldn’t have to be fought

[@Redpoppy80]

Completely agree. It is obvious that the Umpires Union has become the very Mafia state that Unions are supposed to fight. There is no accountability anywhere for their egregious screw ups and no punishments for Umpires when they turn Tyrant.

[@chocoloco1211]

My only problem with the balls and strikes challenge system is why get SOME calls right when we can go full robo umps and get ALL calls right?

[@andrewyingling6240]

Some games in minors are fully robotic. It depends on the game. Sometimes the ump behind the plate just calls what the earpiece tells him to. No replays are allowed. I found this video had several inaccuracies. Don't believe everything that was said.

[@tnolddawg]

If the union doesn't provide accountability, MLB may simply fail to renew their contract for performance detrimental to the game Then All MLB Umpires are out of work labeled "unreliable and obsolete "

[@zenglider2145]

good example of "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

[@HistorysRaven]

I know we like to talk about the umpire union, but I'm not entirely sure that's the ONLY thing we need to talk about. The other thing is the number of umpires. In 2018, there were 92 umpires in the MLB; 76 full time umpires and 16 from the AAA that are eligible to umpire MLB games. I can't find a total number for A-AAA, but it seems like only 30 people are offered MiLB umpire jobs after going through Minor League Umpire Development each year. My estimate for total umpires in the system is around 300, 400 at most. That sounds like a lot, but then we also have to look at how long most of the umpires have been calling games and how often MLB umpires retire.

[@USArmyVet91]

What still surprises me is Angel Hernandez doesn’t rank last in missed calls, AND there are five Umps rated worse than him? I can’t think of one. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Flatlandmike]

we need a metric for magnitude of missed call. Like how bad the call was and how much it affected the game. A few little calls in the beginning of a game can shape who has an advantage thro the game

[@JarrodFLif3r]

Lets not forget the Eric Gregg game...a game the arguably kept the Braves out of the 1997 World Series(where they would have likely rolled over the Cleveland Indians)

[@MrTAPrimo]

Perhaps the MLB is complicit. Why would they not Crack down and raise standards?? Maybe they want certain teams to win and certain teams to lose..at the expense of a "crappy umpire "...

[@AdderTude]

No, because Manfred is utterly dickless and does whatever the union wants him to do.

[@jameshopkins6853]

This is getting ridiculous. They should not affect the game like they do. It's one of the reasons NFL is kicking their butts in interest. THINGS NEED TO CHANGE!

[@layzygaming945]

It's power. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[@coachwilson5967]

I wholly agree that there have been some horrific calls this year. (See Angel Hernandez) The TV "box" is totally flawed. Perhaps you could contrast the real box vs the TV box?

[@NoNameForThisGuy]

Everyone agrees that the union is the problem, until its time to criticize unions.

[@gbonkers666]

or the union guys start chasing you all around the bases.

[@matthewkendall7791]

As someone who is in a union and very pro union, unions should exist to keep a balance of power with the ownership, not take power. Any time there is a power imbalance, you breed corruption on either side.

[@barbecueman6352]

Unions should exist to protect good workers from bad employers and conditions, not to protect bad performing workers from the consequences of utterly failing at their jobs

[@redick04clay]

It’s slippery slope to start getting rid of any unions

[@AdderTude]

@@barbecueman6352 Yep. This. The UFCW is particularly bad about this. Same with teachers unions.

[@Rick-jf6sg]

Like Ted Williams once said, the strike zone is not what the rule book says it is . . . it's whatever that game's plate umpire says it is.

[@peskytalk]

The true GOAT

[@phoebeflanders]

Unions don't necessarily prevent accountability. Management's inability to negotiate reasonably is more of an issue.

[@danielh5583]

How do they fix games if they switch to robo umps?

[@TheVagolfer]

It's not just having the union, it's the arrogance of having a union.

[@heedrix]

Fans need to stop attending games that Angel is part of.

[@olslimy6428]

I honestly think they don't really need to just replace umpires with "robots" (AI/ML-based devices with sensors or whatever). Just set a level of ACCOUNTABILITY for EVERY umpire so they won't make stupid calls or eject people for the slightest BS. We've seen that younger umpires are also getting better, so I guess they need to also improve on their training and selection process to produce the best possible umpires. On that note, they also need to bring those younger better umpires up to the majors (get the old guards away from the field or at least the home plate, they're totally showing their age and pettiness).

[@michaelkoltz5272]

They cost Milwaukee another game with bad calls. FIRE ALL of them now

[@xstugee]

Since the inception of Manfred as Commissioner of the game, it has changed drastically and not at all for the better.....bring on Bob Costas, a guy who is brilliant and truly loves this great game.

[@blazingpedals]

Angle Hernandez would stop being a problem if the player's union declared that all of their players would boycott any game that he was working. The umpire association can keep him on salary, as long as he's not screwing up games.

[@tendyedits1272]

Let’s talk about the review/challenge system for the MLB. When a challenge happens pretty much every one I’ve ever seen NEVER is it two umps on a iPad like the NHL. It’s two umps standing there with the headset on talking to New York. It never seems the MLB allows the umpires to see the replay, it’s just a call from NY and then the umpires telling the managers whatever NY called. It’s something I don’t understand why the MLB allows that. Let the umpires review the challenges themselves and allow them to be accountable for the call they make. Also while there are some bad strike zones, the TV graphics aren’t always correct. The graphic isn’t the same or changed for taller or shorter batters. So while I think the challenge system is great, I don’t see how taking the umpire away from there is a great idea because even if the player disagrees with the AI system do they just blame themselves? Part of baseball I think is built on that human side of you never know what might happen for 9 innings. Taking away that element I think is going to make for a boring game. Plus I wonder if there’s real time capable AI to detect balls and strikes, not how the ABS system is currently used as a back up which is has time to process that it was a ball or a strike.

[@ericjamesphotography]

7:22 - Chapman is arguing with up, clearly covers his mouth with his glove to shout something dark, then gets tossed. What a coward.

[@sheldonfite4822]

MLB umpires today they are more concerned about salary than calling a consistent game behind the plate or in the field

[@PartOfTheGame]

I agree with many people's suggestions here: teams need to stop playing when the bad umpires are chosen for those games. Umpires are useless these days, we have the cameras that have a 99.9% accuracy chance. And if there's an argument over it, it can go higher for a final decision.

[@Shaw_111]

Your name is “part of the game” and you agree with most of the suggestions. You can’t make this stuff up this is comical.

[@bryansimmons3723]

The ump issues drove me from watching mlb. It was getting bad 7 or 8 years ago, and just getting worse.