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More on last night’s game

Tampa Bay Rays v Toronto Blue Jays
Ron Kulpa
Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

I don’t understand why baseball doesn’t have robo umps. It is time.

If you thought that ninth inning was a mess, you are right.

Ron Kulpa’s three worst calls came against us that inning. I don’t think that will come as a surprise to anyone who watched that mess. Unfortunately, I watched that inning with people around me, and my rather loud swearing was noticed.

I usually think that the worst calls are made in the first inning. I think that umpires need an inning or two to get into the game.

Yesterday the worst calls were in the ninth. I’m imagining there was some feeling that the game should be over and he wanted to get out of there and have a late-night beer or two. I know I needed one after that ninth.

And this tweet below doesn’t even mention Teoscar’s at-bat in the inning. But Breyvic really got robbed. If he got the walk he deserved (twice) it would have been a one-run game, with the bases loaded (and Jake Lamb up against a lefty, which would have been a bad spot for him, but he can take a walk).

I don’t think there was any malice on Kulpa part. I think he just lost the strike zone at the wrong moment.

The Inning was going so well:

  • George Springer dropped a popup in just the right spot.
  • Marcus Semien hits home run number 41.
  • Vlad takes a full-count walk, after being behind 1-2.
  • Bo flies out, on a pitch that could have been ball four.
  • Teoscar Hernandez strikes out, chasing off the plate, after a strike two pitch that was clearly below the zone.
  • Danny Jansen, in Alejandro Kirk’s spot, single
  • Lourdes Gurriel walks (he had a called strike off the plate).
  • Breyvic takes three straight balls, then is given two call strikes on balls above the zone, fouled off a pitch off the plate, and then a called strike, one that actually was a strike.

Much swearing from Tom. Much swearing. I don’t usually swear loudly in public.


I mean the run scored off Pearson and the run scored off Borucki turned out to be huge. But we had a shot to win taken away by an umpire who lost the strike zone. I’m ready for Robo umps. Today isn’t too soon for them.