I know it’ll never happen, but if MLB offered fans an uncensored viewing option with live mics, viewership would go through the roof. It would make for compelling TV, and it might also prevent the kind of bush-league umpiring that we saw during Sunday’s Game 5 of the World Series. Or … you know … MLB could get with the times and give us robot umps.
With umpire Lance Barksdale working behind the plate at Nationals Park, he deliberately let a clear strikeout pitch go uncalled in the sixth inning because he essentially felt disrespected by Nationals catcher Yan Gomes.
Live microphones picked up the exchange between Barksdale and Gomes with the umpire saying he didn’t call the pitch a strike on Michael Brantley because Gomes “took off” on him — meaning that Gomes was preparing to throw the ball around the horn before Barksdale could make his call. Brantley would fly out later in the at-bat. (Warning: NSFW language)
Gomes, who was understandably in disbelief by Barksdale’s unprofessional antics, responded with, “Oh, it’s my fault?”
Manager Dave Martinez also shouted at Barksdale to wake up because, uh, it’s the World Series.
Simply put, that kind of umpiring can’t continue and should be the exact type of behavior that an automated strike zone would eliminate from the game.
Traditionalists love the human element of baseball, but that human element leads to oversensitive umpires blowing calls in the freaking World Series because they didn’t like how a catcher reacted to an obvious strike. Get out of here with that.
Give us robot umps or live mics. But mostly, give us robot umps.
