It hasn’t been a great year for umpires in Major League Baseball as umpires are routinely blasted on social media for missed strike calls. But one mistake during Wednesday night’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs was among the worst mistakes an umpire has made this entire MLB season.
At the top of the second inning during Wednesday night’s game, the Cubs had a runner on first base and third base with one out when what was ruled to be a “passed ball” allowed the Chicago runner to come home and score from third base. The only problem is, the replay clearly shows that it wasn’t a passed ball at all. Instead, it was a foul ball.
As the video shows, the ball did not simply get passed the catcher, it hit the bat of the hitter on a check swing and bounced past the catcher as a result. It should have been ruled a dead ball, keeping the runners in place. Instead, it was ruled a passed ball, allowed a run to score, and could not be reviewed.
This was ruled a passed ball.
The Cubs scored on the play. https://t.co/bVTw9Pkl23 pic.twitter.com/lvFsafx8Pb
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 27, 2023
Obviously, Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker was furious at the call and was ejected as a result of his argument with the umpires.
It was an absolutely terrible call that gifted the Cubs with a run, but the Braves ultimately earned the victory anyway, beating the Cubs 6-5 in extra innings.
