"Andy Fletcher called the worst game"; "He’s a terrible umpire" - MLB fans unhappy after officials announcement for Dodgers vs Yankees World Series
The biggest sporting event of October, the MLB World Series, starts Friday with the New York Yankees taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. As the big game inches closer, new details are coming to the fore, with the latest announcement coming from the league being the lineup of umpires who will officiate the games.
On Thursday night, MLB announced the officials who'll regulate the World Series games. With more than 25 years of experience under his belt, Mark Carlson will work in his third World Series and third as a crew chief.
His crew members include Doug Eddings, Chad Fairchild, Andy Fletcher, Mark Ripperger, regular season crew chief Todd Tichenor and Carlos Torres. All these members will be rotated for home plate assignment in the following order:
- Game 1: Carlos Torres (ranked 32nd of 90, 1st WS)
- Game 2: Andy Fletcher (73rd, 1st WS)
- Game 3: Mark Carlson (49th)
- Game 4: Doug Eddings (60th)
- Game 5: Mark Ripperger (18th, 1st WS)
- Game 6: Chad Fairchild (37th)
- Game 7: Todd Tichenor (24th)
Upon learning about the development, fans couldn't help but wonder why top-ranked umpires were not selected to cover the World Series.
"I don’t understand why the top 10 are not doing this," one fan commented.
"Shouldn’t MLB reward the best umpires over the course of the year with the most prestigious assignment??" another fan added.
Some fans took digs at the officials who were bad in prior postseason assignments:
"Andy Fletcher (ranked 73rd of 90 umpires) called the worst game of the playoffs, missing 16 calls in Mets Phillies NLDS Game 1. Why would he also get a World Series assignment? Why should any umpire get multiple series when top ranked umps are snubbed?" one fan asked.
"He’s a terrible umpire and not much better as a person," another added.
"Shouldn’t you be ranked in the Top 25 or so, to get a WS assignment??" one fan asked.
Who will be the replay umpires for 2024 World Series?
Apart from the on-field umpires, Cory Blaser and James Hoye will be in the replay center and officiate close calls. The duo worked on the field during the divisional round of the postseason.
FOX Sports will be the official broadcaster of the World Series. This will be the 27th time they have covered the World Series. Fans subscribed to MLB.TV can also enjoy the games live.
The 2024 World Series will be broadcast in more than 200 countries and territories with over 16 different languages through rightsholders from MLB international media.