Umpire Scorecard Thread

[LookitsPuck]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

Vanover clearly is no longer able to do the job. It's about time that MLB stands up to the umpire unions and tells them that they need to retire umpires just like players get retired when they can no longer do the job effectively. 

Maybe the union is just holding on for the inevitable which is the automated strike zone. 

Hey, in a decade he can run for president. So there's hope for life after MLB baseball umpire! Angel Hernandez has another decade and a half, though.

[ShoelesJoe]

2 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

If the union went on strike, would anyone care? I think Manfred would get free drinks at any bar he walks into.

I don't think the umpires would make that mistake again. More likely they'd stay on the job and do everything in their power to make a mockery of the games. 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, accinfo said:

My thought was the threat of the electronic strike zone would maybe made the umpires a little better but the opposite appears to be true.  I think it is a mortal lock by 2026 which is fine by me.  

The evidence shows that umpires indeed have gotten more accurate over the last decade or two.  Which just goes to show how pathetic they were before.  

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The evidence shows that umpires indeed have gotten more accurate over the last decade or two.  Which just goes to show how pathetic they were before.  

They could easily get away with holding grudges back in the day.  Was basically no accountability.  Just think how wild it was before the games were televised.

[HowAboutThat]

I wonder if there’s any benefit to having the 1b and 3B umps call strikes depending on RHH or LHH?

they can see the low balls more easily than that home plate, and, even though they’re looking at a slight angle, because they’re only calling low rather than inside outside, they might be more accurate?

Or allow them to automatically overrule the home plate umpire on and egregious call?

Larry was even worse than Angel and apparently completely unapologetic about it. These guys need to wake up because it’s their jobs.

[Otter]

12 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

They could easily get away with holding grudges back in the day.  Was basically no accountability.  Just think how wild it was before the games were televised.

Exactly.  It just seems like all umpires are terrible now because of HD, the strike zone animation, and social media highlighting the terrible calls.  But I remember Ken Kaiser and many others very obviously holding grudges and just making insane calls to avenge perceived slights.  Anyone remember when Kaiser got hit directly in the face mask with a pitch that the catcher weirdly missed?  If I recall, next couple pitches were right down the middle and he called them balls...

The difference with Angel was he was that bad even when he was trying to be good...

[Frobby]

Friday’s game was proof that the calls don’t always go against us.  
 

 

[ShoelesJoe]

On 8/8/2024 at 6:44 PM, Otter said:

Exactly.  It just seems like all umpires are terrible now because of HD, the strike zone animation, and social media highlighting the terrible calls.  But I remember Ken Kaiser and many others very obviously holding grudges and just making insane calls to avenge perceived slights.  Anyone remember when Kaiser got hit directly in the face mask with a pitch that the catcher weirdly missed?  If I recall, next couple pitches were right down the middle and he called them balls...

The difference with Angel was he was that bad even when he was trying to be good...

I remember watching an Orioles game on TV, late '70s or early '80s, in Texas and Ken Kaiser blew a call against us in the first inning. Eddie Murray didn't argue the call, he just crossed his arms and glared at him. The TV camera was on Murray and Kaiser the whole time. Kaiser ejected Murray from the game for looking at him. Ken Kaiser was the kind of umpire that would revel in the fact that he could do anything, make any call no matter how bad, and there was nothing that anybody could do about it. When the 68 MLB umpires made the mistake of resigning en masse in 1999 it came as no surprise that Kaiser was one of only 6 that was never rehired. 

[ShoelesJoe]

[FlaO'sFan]

3 minutes ago, ShoelesJoe said:

1 and 3 really stood out to me. Especially 3. Holliday was so out on that pitch.

[glenn__davis]

20 minutes ago, FlaO'sFan said:

1 and 3 really stood out to me. Especially 3. Holliday was so out on that pitch.

Yeah Holliday was owed one but that was an awful call and let to that big inning. 

[Can_of_corn]

[Aristotelian]

23 hours ago, ShoelesJoe said:

It was weird, he had a huge zone all game, then all of a sudden in the 8th he wouldn't call a strike. 

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

It’s incredible how bad it was.  Think what it would look like if you eliminated all the pitches in the center part of the strike zone.  

[Aristotelian]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It’s incredible how bad it was.  Think what it would look like if you eliminated all the pitches in the center part of the strike zone.  

Yeah, it would almost be a coin flip. That being said, I really don't blame the umpires. Having umpired games for 10-13 year olds, I can't imagine calling pitches with MLB movement and velocity with any consistency. It's just not fair to expect humans to be able to call it accurately.