C.B. Bucknor making a bad call? Must be a day that ends in Y.
A controversial call from the controversial umpire descended the Yankees’ game against the Mariners on Tuesday night into chaos during an at-bat between New York pitcher Michael King and Seattle catcher Tom Murphy, leading to multiple ejections in the Yankees’ 10-2 victory.
Facing a 1-1 count in the sixth inning, King threw a slider that veered out of the zone, and Murphy appeared to check his swing.
But when home plate umpire Brian Walsh appealed to Bucknor at first base, the umpire called it a strike – even though a replay showed that it Murphy wasn’t even close to going around.
Murphy was visibly upset and appeared to yell at Bucknor: “That’s f–king terrible.”
Then, to compound the issue, Walsh – who was behind the plate for just his second career game – immediately ejected Murphy in the middle of the at-bat.
Mariners manager Scott Servais then went out to the plate to argue with Walsh, who then threw him out as well.
Once the dust settled, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh came in to bat for Murphy, taking over his 1-2 count, and deposited a double into center field.
The Mariners were unable to score, however, and Aaron Judge led off the next inning with his 18th home run of the year.
Either way, the baseball world eagerly awaits the emergence of robot umpires.