Watch: Call-up umpire has tough day in Philly, resulting in two spirited ejections
The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a controversial 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins Sunday following several questionable calls from a replacement umpire behind home plate.
Things came unglued in the seventh inning after umpire Alex MacKay, a call-up due to illness, rang up Phillies' third baseman Alec Bohm on a 3-2 pitch that clearly missed inside.
The missed call, with two outs and the bases juiced, cost the Phillies a run and possibly the ballgame. An irate Bohm spiked his bat into the ground leading to quick ejection from MacKay.
In the bottom half of the eighth, the bad vibes continued when MacKay called Bryce Harper out on another debatable pitch that, while closer than the one against Bohm, was still likely a ball.
Harper protested the call but surprisingly avoided ejection. However, manager Rob Thomson wasn't so lucky, ripping into MacKay after seeing enough from the dugout.
The arguable calls definitely changed the game and possibly the outcome. But the Phillies can't look back and blame MacKay alone for Sunday's loss.
The Phillies left the bases loaded in the second inning and ahead of the theatrics in the seventh inning, outfielder Kyle Schwarber popped out with one out and the bases full before Bohm's run-in with MacKay.
Since his call-up from the minor leagues, MacKay is seemingly building a reputation for having a short fuse. Before Sunday's fun, MacKay also drew the ire of Chicago Cubs manager David Ross back in July. In the last game before the All-Star break, MacKay tossed Ross for arguing balls and strikes in the first inning.
Umpiring is hard, but the different personalities and inconsistency in strike zones have led to calls for MLB to introduce robot umpires or, at the very least, give teams the ability to challenge balls and strikes via replay.
In 2022, an automated balls and strike system debuted at the Triple-A level and considering the changes already made in the majors this season, more could be on the horizon.
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