Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez Sep 5, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez (79) reacts to the Baltimore Orioles dugout during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Another day of Major League Baseball games, another performance by a home plate umpire that can best be described as disconcerting.

Manny Gonzalez was behind the plate on Monday during the Baltimore Orioles doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pretty much all day long during the first game, fans were perplexed and angered by his balls and strike calls, which seemed to defy logic and common decency.

The Blue Jays ended up winning the game 7-3. But it seemed like all any fans wanted to discuss was the miserable day behind the plate for Gonzalez. While he hasn’t developed the reputation that someone like Angel Hernandez has, Gonzalez is certainly putting himself in that kind of company with his performance on Monday.

Those who watched the game are very eager to see the Ump Card for Gonzalez soon, and it is not going to be very pretty.

It’s been a pretty wild year for MLB umpires and bad calls. It really does feel like every day there’s a new indefensible call that comes up and leads to anger or ejections. There are a lot of people around MLB that can’t wait for robot umpires to get here and call pitches, which sure sounds like could happen relatively soon.

[Ump Show, Andy Kostka]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.