It hasn't been a very good week for the Baltimore Orioles, who got blown out 24-2 against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday and then held scoreless against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
That week continued to get worse for the Orioles in their second game of the series against the Nats, when they were on the losing end of a baffling call from MLB ump C.B. Bucknor.
In the top of the fifth inning, Orioles' Gunnar Henderson started to swing on an 0-2 pitch from Nationals' Trevor Williams. Henderson seemed to hold back at the last second and didn't make contact with the ball, but Bucknor, who was the home plate ump, immediately ruled it a swinging strike three without consulting the first or third base ump.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was caught on camera in the dugout appearing to send Bucknor a succinct, NSFW message: "Get f---ing help."
HP Ump CB Bucknor called this a swing.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 24, 2025
Hyde: "Get f'n help" pic.twitter.com/oppaFfVKK7
The game's broadcasters and MLB fans alike couldn't believe it, as in almost any other similar case, the home plate ump would defer to a base umpire, who had a better sightline on Henderson's swing.
The new Angel Hernandez https://t.co/k5NRXUchzP
— Mike Shipley (@MikeShipley09) April 24, 2025
CB Bucknor completely took the bat out of Gunnar's hands, what a disgrace on the umpiring profession he's been
— Freddie (@FreddieTheOsFan) April 23, 2025
CB Bucknor’s still in the MLB? Yikes
— Shawn Murray (@ShawnPMurray16) April 23, 2025
Allowing CB Bucknor to umpire games is disgraceful by MLB at this point
— Shou-In Bets (@ShouInBets) April 23, 2025
Gotta respect CB Bucknor’s desire to be the worst umpire in baseball every game he works.
— ⚾️ Shoeless Dro Jackson 👟 (@SavageNtheBox) April 23, 2025
The call against the Orioles would prove costly, as they went on to lose Wednesday’s game 4–3, despite missing out on a golden opportunity to score with a man on first and no outs.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Ump Ripped by Fans for Mind-Boggling Call on Orioles Hitter.
