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Sports Illustrated

Karl Rasmussen

Umpire's Late-Game Strike Call Had MLB Fans Crowning It the Worst of 2024 Season

MLB Patrick Wisdom Rowdy Tellez Rob Friedman Cubs

Rowdy Tellez pitches against Patrick Wisdom in the top of the ninth inning at PNC Park. | Screenshot via Rob Friedman on X

Umpires are people, too.

That was never more evident than during Monday night's clash between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, a game which the Cubs quickly turned on its head, winning 18–8.

Things got so bad at PNC Park that the Pirates opted to trot Rowdy Tellez onto the mound to pitch in the ninth inning. Tellez wasn't looking to light up the radar gun, effectively throwing soft toss to Patrick Wisdom, and often missing the zone badly.

Home plate umpire Scott Barry looked as if he'd seen enough and was just about ready to call it a night during Wisdom's at-bat against Tellez. Barry called a strike on a pitch so far outside of the zone, just about no one knew how to react.

Tellez's eephus—if you can call it that—clocked in at around 42 mph, and was practically in the left-handed batter's box. Wisdom wisely laid off the pitch, but Barry stunned everyone by ruling it a strike. Wisdom had a few words for the umpire, who barely seemed to give him any sort of response.

The bizarre exchange left baseball fans bewildered, and they were quick to declare Barry's egregious mistake as the worst called strike of the 2024 MLB season.

The Worst Strike Call of the Year. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4CUkHZfE9h
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 27, 2024

“I want to get out of here. Strike 1”@StoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/i6Ux1TAEU2
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 27, 2024

Ump just wants to go home 😭 pic.twitter.com/IRb0ZsvDKu
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 27, 2024

Patrick Wisdom couldn’t believe this called strike one 🤣

pic.twitter.com/AjSCxD4JAb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 27, 2024

It feels like the word 'egregious' isn't used enough. Poor Pat Wisdom is just trying to finish out his baseball career and a 1st baseman gets this call. @Cubs #GoCubsGo #RowdyTellez pic.twitter.com/SSjLX4xVIt
— Billy Krumb (@ClubhouseCancer) August 27, 2024

The ump actually called this a strike 😭 pic.twitter.com/gJ6M1WL9Tz
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 27, 2024

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Umpire's Late-Game Strike Call Had MLB Fans Crowning It the Worst of 2024 Season.

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