The Giants played the Guardians in a Cactus League game in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Saturday afternoon with an extreme heat warning in effect. Scottsdale Stadium saw temperatures just over 100°F as players and an announced attendance of over 8,000 fans suffered through the heat.
One person who definitely thought it was hot was home plate umpire Bill Miller who was so hot he was openly rooting for one of his calls to be overturned by ABS so an inning would end. We know he was hoping his call be overturned because he didn't turn off his mic and could be heard saying "please be a strike" after San Francisco catcher Patrick Bailey challenged his call of a ball on an 0–2 pitch from pitcher Robbie Ray.
Miller's reaction to hearing his own voice was amazing. He was basically gritting his teeth before he was even done talking. And Bailey turning around with a huge smile on his face as he too hoped it was a strike since he was the one to initiate the challenge was a nice touch.
Unfortunately for Miller and Bailey, the initial call was right and review showed that Ray's pitch was a whole 0.3" below the strike zone. So he and a visibly amused Bailey had to go back to work and figure out a way out of the inning.
The home plate umpire got caught on hot mic saying “please be a strike” 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/U71E64xOYT
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) March 21, 2026
The good news from Miller was that the review was expedited and the total game time on Saturday was just over 2 1/2 hours with the Giants winning, 10–7.
More importantly, this says a lot about Miller's credibility with balls and strikes. He calls him as he sees them. It was a very close pitch and he easily could've rung up Alexander Mooney here and no one would've blinked. But he made the right call instead. And he was rewarded as Mooney struck out swinging two pitches later.
Bill Miller's microphone
This is not the first time Miller has been caught on his own hot mic. Last May he got a call wrong at the plate when he called Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran out sliding into home plate against the Twins. Minnesota challenge to call Miller had to announce his own call was being overturned. Has everyone started to move on he could be heard on the broadcast saying, "I f------ saw that too. God d-----."
Miller could obviously use a refresher on the mute button.
Spring Training winding down
We are just a few days away from the Giants starting the season against the Yankees on Opening Night on Netflix. The Giants had one of the best exhibition seasons of any team this year and are currently tied with the Braves and Dodgers for the most wins in MLB during spring training with 19.
Logan Webb is expected to start for the Giants opposite Max Fried. Webb was last seen pitching in the WBC where he gave Team USA two very strong starts, but later bristled at the team's portrayal as not caring as much as other countries.
More MLB from Sports Illustrated
- Aaron Judge Responds to Criticism of USA's No-Fun Attitude in WBC: 'Everybody's Different'
- Team Italy Is Auctioning Off Espresso Machine from the WBC for Sweetest Reason
- World Baseball Classic Smashed All Its Ratings Records
- Logan Webb Rips Narrative That Team USA Did Not Care Enough About WBC
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Umpire Bill Miller Surprised to Hear Himself on Hot Mic Hoping Own Call Overturned.
