You won’t find many fans of umpire C.B. Bucknor across Major League Baseball fanbases. Those fans were probably vindicated on Wednesday afternoon. The Pirates defeated the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 in Pittsburgh. But Bucknor drew the ire of fans at the very end of the game. You couldn’t get any later: On strike three, fans and Brewers slugger William Contreras became irritated after an atrocious third strike call.
Pirates closer David Bednar struck Contreras out on a 3-2 pitch with the tying run aboard first base. But the problem came with that third strike that Bucknor called. Bednar’s pitch wasn’t anywhere close to the plate. It came about a foot off it near the other batter’s box. But that did not stop Bucknor from calling the strike and ending the game as a result.
David Bednar and the Pirates hang on to beat the Brewers 5-4…. with some help from C.B. Bucknor.
3-2 count to William Contreras, tying run on 1st… this was called strike 3.
"The Bucs got a call! They'll take it. They'll take the series."⚾️👮 pic.twitter.com/M0RKnF3zp4
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 6, 2023
While the AT&T SportsNet broadcast didn’t linger on it, you could see Contreras respond animatedly after Bucknor made the call. He had a case, as the call was just awful.
The game was hugely consequential for the Brewers as well. The loss trims their lead over the Chicago Cubs to 2.0 games in the NL Central. The Cubs are bearing down and pursuing the top of the NL Central after a furious run in the second half. They lead in their game against the San Francisco Giants, meaning a win will draw them even closer. And thus, C.B. Bucknor and his call will probably attract even more significant ire.
What. https://t.co/wV09Ox0xmU
— Simon 🏁 (@simonsays_95) September 6, 2023
https://twitter.com/BenRossTweets/status/1699509482508935590
infuriating that this man is employed by mlb https://t.co/Rjj92xFg6C
— stevie hardbody (@chillin4826) September 6, 2023
Love the result. Also, CB Bucknor should never call a game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an ump be so comically bad for a full week. What an embarrassment https://t.co/g5dHfgiu1h
— Away Games: Chicago Cubs Podcast (@AwayGamesPod) September 6, 2023
Literally everyone knows, CB Bucknor. https://t.co/wAYXe7KZuT
— JR Radcliffe (@JRRadcliffe) September 6, 2023
