Major League Baseball umpires work in an environment of constant and often high-stakes scrutiny. Every ball and strike call is analyzed by millions. One particularly bad day behind the plate can instantly trigger a tsunami of social media criticism. For years, Angel Hernandez often held that unfortunate title. But this time, after a recent game in St. Louis, another veteran umpire, Mike Muchlinski, found himself facing similar unwanted comparisons following a controversial performance.

It was Thursday’s game at Bush Stadium, home opener for the St. Louis Cardinals, hosting the Los Angeles Angels. Although the hometown Cardinals came alive with a high-scoring 12-5 victory against the Angels, the game was reportedly marred by questionable calls from Muchlinski behind the home plate. These calls visibly frustrated the players during the game, leading to an online firestorm directed at the umpire afterward.

The fuse for that online explosion was lit by a viral tweet from the popular baseball history account @BaseballHistoryNut. And then it posted a powerful and ironic sequence of events from the game. First, it detailed Muchlinski’s pre-game warning: “Yesterday, home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski told Cardinals players if they touch their helmet to sarcastically suggest they’re challenging a pitch call as they did in spring with ABS, they would be ejected, immediately”. Then came the knockout punchline: “He missed 22 calls.”

Considering the advanced technology used during the 2025 Spring Training, this situation was especially frustrating for fans. Players across the league, including those on the Cardinals, had recently used the trial Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system. It required only a quick helmet tap before calls were reviewed using precise Hawk-Eye technology. ABS guarantees near-perfect accuracy (over 99% in minor leagues). This is far superior to Muchlinski’s 85.4% correct call rate on April 3. This is in stark contrast to Muchlinski’s reported 22 missed calls and approximately 85% accuracy (poorest accuracy to date) during this single regular-season game.

Interestingly, Muchlinski had a pretty entertaining moment during the testing of MLB’s ABS system. After a bunch of his calls got overturned, he was basically waiting for another one to go the same way. Then, Padres catcher Brett Sullivan challenged a pitch from Omar Cruz, and Muchlinski was probably thinking, “Here we go again.” But, surprisingly, the videoboard confirmed that his call was actually correct! He responded with a laugh, saying, “The call is surprisingly correct.” It was a pretty funny moment.

The ABS system still has some time to get everything sorted out before it officially starts in the 2026 regular season. However, fans weren’t too thrilled about the apparent inaccuracies in Muchlinski’s calls. They took to social media to poke fun at him pretty harshly.

Mike Muchlinski’s Pre-game warning and on-field errors fuel fan fury

So when an umpire sends a stern warning about sarcastic dissent hours before having a demonstrably poor game himself—with numerous missed calls said to benefit the home team—fans certainly pay attention. This one-two punch, a preemptive threat on the one hand, followed by a performance filled with errors on the other, had more than enough fuel to drive yet more online scorn and anger, aimed at the man in blue.

The response was swift and cruel, with fans immediately calling on the ghost of baseball’s most infamous umpire. “Angel Hernandez 2.0,” one user declared concisely online. This fan compares Muchlinski to Hernández, the most derided umpire in MLB history. Like the time when the latter missed 161 calls in only 10 games in 2023, as per Umpire Auditor.

Many fans pointed to Muchlinski’s rough night as proof positive that human error behind the plate requires a technological solution. “Umpires like Mike Muchlinski are why the ABS system is necessary to begin with”. This fan cites Muchlinski’s poor performance as proof of the implementation of the ABS system. The system was already in testing during spring 2025 and at Triple-A as of 2023. His accuracy remained well below the 2024 MLB average of 93-94%, according to Umpire Scorecards.

One focuses on specific calls, likely from Angels star Mike Trout’s at-bats, given Trout’s billing and the 16 missed calls against Anaheim. A pitch that’s “in the zone by 4 inches” and is flagged a ball is a glaring error. MLB’s K-Zone considers pitches within 2 inches of the zone’s edge as borderline. This means that one that is 4 inches inside its boundary should be an obvious strike (for example, a fastball dead-center, normally 17 inches wide). The “strike 3 call to Trout” implies a blow call ending an at-bat that could have been the final out or possibly a rally killer in a 12-5 loss.

Other fans responded with pure sarcasm. “I mean only 22….”.

This backhanded quip belittles Muchlinski’s 22 missed calls as “not that bad,” presumably to mock those who seek to defend the umpires or compare them to worse offenders. Hernández’s 161 misses in 10 games (16.1 per game) in 2023 created a standard, although his single-game worst was 15 (Sept. 14, 2023). Muchlinski’s 22 missed calls surpass that mark—a rare feat, as only 1% of games in 2024 featured more than 20 missed calls.

Finally, frustration also focused on Muchlinski’s reported pre-game warning about helmet taps, which some viewed as an overstepping of authority. “Change the rules so players can deal with him, and his attitude would quickly change,” suggested one fan. It suggests a confrontational “attitude,” similar to Hernández’s ejection of Kyle Schwarber in 2022 for tossing equipment because of a bad call. Or Muchlinski’s own 2024 ejection of Derek Shelton for arguing a check swing.

What’s your take on Muchlinski’s 22 missed calls? Share your thoughts below!