The Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Saturday afternoon. St. Louis had a chance to make a dent in its deficit late in the game. But that rally was thwarted, with an assist to home plate umpire, Bruce Dreckman.
Trailing 5-1 in the seventh inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs and Tommy Edman coming to the plate. Edman fell behind 0-2 to Chicago’s Scott Effross but took three straight balls to work the count full. The 3-2 pitch appeared to be well outside, to pretty much everyone watching the game. Dreckman, however, rang Edman up.
— Welcome to the Ump Show (@umpjob) June 4, 2022
This is what Oliver Marmol just got tossed for. Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 pitch to Edman. It happens pic.twitter.com/0r1dNInoh8
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 4, 2022
Few things unite fans quite like frustration with bad umpire calls. Regardless of age, rooting interest and any other traditional dividing lines, baseball fans are tired of bad calls. When those bad calls happen, fans generally come together to make their frustrations with MLB Umpires known.
This call was no different. And as has often been the case, the calls for robot umpires were prevalent.
https://twitter.com/hsharpcpa/status/1533176102595833857
I hate the Cardinals as much as anyone, but I approve here. https://t.co/9y1C2rTSPR
— J. (@80HD_Theatre) June 4, 2022
Worth it. https://t.co/frKJKag6DW
— Cole Douglas Claybourn (@ColeClaybourn) June 4, 2022
As a @Cubs fan, I like the strikeout. As a baseball fan, the call is horrible but it's the argument is FANTASTIC! https://t.co/zUFEraK2wn
— Aaron Bickel (@BickelAaron) June 4, 2022
Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and Bruce Dreckman’s strike zone.
Pathetic. #STLCards https://t.co/1lzV2gwZ3l
— Eric Clinton (@EricBClinton) June 4, 2022
@MLB hold your umpires accountable https://t.co/IPFpHbyIXY
— TheCaptain ⚓️ (@harmebaseball13) June 4, 2022
Ball was never even close to the strike zone. https://t.co/YIKRadcOM0
— NickName (@nickname897) June 4, 2022
Can’t wait to see the @UmpScorecards report for this clown. He’s been awful! https://t.co/L2OdxAkohl
— Jeff Backfisch (@Nolefisch) June 4, 2022
I’ve seen enough. Bring in the robots. https://t.co/D6VT7WLVgQ
— Blake Strebler (@shake_n_B1AK3) June 4, 2022
This was a breaking ball and it did finish closer to the strike zone than it finished. But that was only because it started so far outside. This pitch was never a strike, nor was it ever terribly close to the strike zone. It also wasn’t in a blowout game, where umpires can sometimes expand their zones. Sure, a 6-1 final isn’t close. But if Dreckman made the correct call, the tying run would have reached base and the go-ahead run would have been in the batter’s box.
Umpires are humans and humans make mistakes. That said, some mistakes are viewed more harshly than others. If the umpires don’t like the clamoring for an electronic strike zone, these kinds of mistakes can’t happen.
About Michael Dixon
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