Friday’s matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals featured an extremely questionable Strike 3 call from home plate umpire Clint Vondrak in a key situation of the game.
The Royals took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning and brought in closer Scott Barlow to attempt to close the show. However, he struggled to do so early in the inning, allowing a leadoff triple to Giants star Joc Pederson.
This presented a great opportunity for the Giants to claw their way back into this game and potentially send the game to extra innings. Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski came to the plate as the tying runner in the game.
Vondrak then called one of the more egregious stikes of the season, He called Yastrzemski out on strikes despite the pitch certainly being a few inches off the plate.
"That was a pitcher's strike" is one way of putting it. pic.twitter.com/t2M1kFAHvZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 7, 2023
Giants broadcaster for NBC Sports Bay Area Mike Krukow had plenty to say about the call after it happened, calling it a “pitcher’s strike”.
“That was a pitcher’s strike. Yastrzemski can’t believe it and I don’t blame him. He has had the bat taken out of his hands.”
This would completely halt the Giants’ rally attempt. They would leave Pederson stranded on third base and lose 3-1 in the game.
The MLB world had plenty to say about this call. Many feel the Giants were on the receiving end of an incorrect call that potentially changed the outcome of this game.
You don’t see Mike Yastrzemski argue often, and he certainly had a point there in a big spot in the 9th pic.twitter.com/TYdjxgaeJx
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) April 7, 2023
Wooooffffff https://t.co/4jwSDWPB1S
— Smokey Jones (@Liquid_B_) April 7, 2023
Awful call, may have cost #SFGiants the game. https://t.co/XYyBolvTGj
— Harve Jacobs (@HarveJacobs) April 7, 2023
https://twitter.com/ScottSCroker/status/1644482263625900038
Robot umpires please
— Ryan (@catsfan20012002) April 7, 2023
Yastrzemski discussed the call after the game. He further voiced his frustration about the bat being taken out of his hands at this key moment.
“It’s one thing if you get yourself out. You gotta go live with that. But when something gets taken out of your hands like that when it shouldn’t, it’s frustrating. So that’s where the emotion came. I feel like we had some momentum and it kinda got taken out from under our feet.”
Mike Yastrzemski on the call:
“It’s one thing if you get yourself out. You gotta go live with that. But when something gets taken out of your hands like that when it shouldn’t, it’s frustrating. So that’s where the emotion came.” pic.twitter.com/rR7N599Lz6— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 7, 2023
[Awful Announcing on Twitter] Photo Credit: NBC Sports Bay Area
