We are less than a week into the 2024 MLB regular season and we may already have the single worst call of the entire year.
The Atlanta Braves took on the Philadelphia Phillies in what was the biggest and most impactful series of the entire weekend.
Braves ace Max Fried took the hill on Saturday and faced a very familiar foe, Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos, in the middle of a hectic first inning.
Keep an eye on Nick Castellanos vs. Max Fried today. pic.twitter.com/0SM1Bz1pTC
— Blake (@BlakeIFox) March 30, 2024
With two-outs and the bases loaded, Fried delivered a 2-2 pitch right down the middle of the plate. Castellanos was fooled. Fried had gotten out of trouble and the inning was over.
Only it wasn’t.
For some inexplicable reason, home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman called the perfect pitch a ball…
Umpire Bruce Dreckman called a ball on a pitch that was right down the middle and should've ended the inning.
Instead, Braves pitcher Max Fried walked in a run, gave up a two run single, and was pulled from the game.#Braves #Phillies pic.twitter.com/KTe3zGukkZ
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) March 31, 2024
Not only did the blown call allow the inning to continue, but the Phillies made Fried pay a costly price.
Castellanos ended up walking, which scored the game-tying run. Then Bryson Stott knocked a two-run single which ended Fried’s day. (That’s right, he only faced seven batters.)
Man, that blown strike-three call rocked Max Fried.
At 2/3 innings, it is — as you can imagine — the shortest start of his career. He lasted two innings on April 7, 2021, a year that ended on a much higher note. #Bravespic.twitter.com/EZ03GBZAda
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) March 30, 2024
Of course, the first thought that popped in everyone’s heads is what does this mean for the future of umpiring?
With the idea of “robo-umps” becoming more and more realistic, if umpires want to hold onto their jobs – at least in capacity they currently have them – they simply can’t blow a call this bad.
I mean, the pitch was right down the middle…
how does the umpire miss that 2-2 pitch to Nick Castellanos from Max Fried? Awful. pic.twitter.com/SBEvPoy0eL
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) March 30, 2024
Calls for increased technology integration into umpiring quickly followed, with many suggesting that MLB should consider implementing ball/strike challenges, akin to those seen in other levels of the sport.
This really is a perfect example of how a challenge system would be helpful to everyone, including the umpire: https://t.co/i7M0QKk3BV
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 30, 2024
Of course, with the use of HD replays, mistakes this bad are amplified to a higher level than ever.
Mistakes happen – even at the Major League level. However, there’s no excusing a mistake THIS bad.
The @MLB season is just a couple of days old and Bruce Dreckman already has what might be the worst call we will see this season. Max Fried was robbed of getting out of the 1st on this 2-2 count with 2 outs and the based loaded. This is clearly strike 3. #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/XdbaKzR0D1
— Preston Feiler (@phfeiler) March 30, 2024
Fortunately for the Braves, they battled back and ended up winning the game comfortably by the final score of 12-4.
Even though the blown call didn’t have a real effect on the outcome of the game, it directly resulted in Fried exiting the game as early as he did.
@deptulahasrage tell me umpires can't affect the game with missed calls at the plate. This is clearly a strike in it cost the Braves three runs. Max fried did not help himself but that was still should have been a strikeout. Missed calls happen way too much. 3 missed in first pic.twitter.com/an0maRlzxO
— Edmund Hoffman III (CHECK) (@The171Hitman) March 30, 2024
The season is early for everyone, and again, mistakes are going to happen.
However, it’s hard not to notice a slight overall dip in umpiring over the past few years. We’ve seen it in all sports, especially football. For some reason, the quality of officiating has been on a downward trajectory.
Hopefully the quality will pick back up. Especially if you’re an old-school type who wants to keep robots out of baseball.
I’m a Phillies fan and I absolutely HATE this missed strike call against Max Fried. Castellanos should’ve been rung the fuck up like the bum that he is. And all I hear from people is how much they would hate Robo umps. pic.twitter.com/Ko6ktQnVgC
— bring relegation to american sports (@oversooon) March 30, 2024
What are your thoughts on the blown call?
Is it safe to say this will go down as the worst call of the entire season? … Or was this child’s play compared to what’s coming?
Where do you stand on the whole “robo-umps” debate???