Baseball umpiring was never an easy job. But the umpires don’t make it any easier on themselves by making potentially game-changing calls and getting them wrong. Calling a strike from a ball may feel like the most essential part of any umpire’s job description, and when they get that call wrong, the fans will let them know. Emotions ran high as the Philadelphia Phillies took on the Minnesota Twins at Citizens Bank Park yesterday.

While the Twins led the AL Central with 61 wins, the Phillies are in hot pursuit of the Braves for the NL East crown. Having tasted post-season success just last year, the Phillies were eager to get going, but the game had other ideas.

Philadelphia Phillies Stare at Double Ejection

The drama started at the bottom of the 7th with Alec Bohm on the plate with the bases loaded. With Caleb Thielbar on the mound for the Twins, Bohm was looking at a total count and Bryce Harper on deck. Thielbar swung in a pitch low and inside to the righty batter right outside the strike zone, only for Umpire Alex Mackay to call it a strike and end the innings.

Understandably upset, Bohm swung hit bat and helmet to the ground as he exchanged words with the umpire. Mackay, convinced about his call, chose instead to eject the batter.

With the bases loaded and Harper on deck to bat next, a walk would’ve meant that the 2022 NL MVP would take the home plate with one run in and the bases loaded for a chance to clear the bases with a dinger of his own. But Phillies fans will be left wondering what could’ve been. Nonetheless, drama followed in the 8th inning too.

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As another strike called on, Harper appeared to be out of the strike zone. Manager Rob Thomson made his way to home plate to let Mackay know, earning an ejection of his own.

And with the Phillies players and manager having such clear reactions to the incident, the fans can’t have expected to have been much better. And they made their feelings known on social media.

Fans React to Umpires Missed Calls

While many fans clarified that the missed calls could’ve cost the Phillies the game in their pursuit of the NL East title, some instead looked on another side of the strike.

Some fans even took to saying that while incorrect, the umpire had been calling close pitches as strikes all game and maybe Bohm should’ve tried instead to make contact.

However, Harper’s call was not decidedly as close, with several fans siding with the umpire on it. Stating that while egregious, the call atleast had been consistent all game.

While robot umpires have been called for by almost all fans of baseball, MLB remains silent on their execution. Therefore, in crunch situations like these, the need for right calls becomes even more pronounced.

With the season entering its home stretch and teams hoping to convert even the borderline calls, it will now be crucial to see how the league reacts.

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