MLB Umpires In Midseason Form Already With Missed Calls

We haven't even completed the first weekend of the 2024 Major League Baseball season and the league's umpires are already in fine form.

Although for once, it wasn't Angel Hernandez making headlines for an atrocious missed call. 

In Saturday's game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia, Braves starter Max Fried was knocked out of the game before the end of the first inning. Except it may not have been entirely his fault. 

Fried loaded the bases with one out on a single and two walks before getting a weak pop-up from Alec Bohm to get the second out. Nick Castellanos worked a 2-2 count, before Fried threw an absolutely perfect fastball in essentially the middle of the plate. And home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman just…completely missed it.

Basically as obvious a strike as you can possibly have, and it's called a ball. Brutal. Baseball Savant measured the pitch as falling completely within the strike zone. And it was called a ball.

Baseball Savant, MLB

Philadelphia - Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried leaves the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)

Phillies Take Advantage Of Umpire's Blown Call

Given new life after the blown call, Castellanos worked a walk to bring in a run, then Bryson Stott launched a single to score two runs and chase Fried from the game after 43 pitches and just two outs.

Fried wasn't sharp by any means, throwing 20 balls in 43 pitches, but had the umpire made the correct call, he'd have gotten out of the first with no runs allowed and a chance to settle into the game in the following inning. As the league debates whether to move to an automatic balls and strikes system in the coming years, it's calls like these that push fans further and further towards the so-called "robo umps" idea.

The blown call didn't wind up costing the Braves the game, as they put together a dominant offensive showing against Phillies starter Aaron Nola. On their way to a 12-4 win, they racked up 12 hits and seven runs on Nola in just 4.1 innings. Phillies' relievers didn't fare much better, giving up five runs and seven more hits in 4.2 innings. 

The scary thing is to consider that when non-Angel Hernandez umps are making calls this bad, how hard will Hernandez work to ensure no one upstages him?