MLB fans enraged as Shohei Ohtani's angry side unleashed after umpire's debatable call: "They ruin the game of baseball"
Throughout his stint in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani has been known as a player who is calm and composed in tough situations. But even the best tend to lose their cool when an officiating error goes against them. This was the case in the Halos' game against the Mariners, where a wrong strike call ended the Japanese sensation's at-bat.
With two runners in scoring positions, Shohei Ohtani came to the plate. On a 3-2 count and 84 mph pitch by Gabe Speier, Ohtani checked his swing and was ready to walk as the ball seemed to land outside the strike zone.
Even on television screens with the automatic strike zone, the pitch seemed to be missing the bottom right corner. However, home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi called a third strike. The call brought a reaction out of Ohtani, who usually tends to keep his composure in such situations.
Phil Nevin debated this call vehemently, but it resulted in him being ejected from the game by Cuzzi. Angels fans were furious at the call and they took to Twitter to voice their opinions.
Shohei Ohtani was not happy with this called strike three. Looked like he was shaking his head saying "No. no." https://t.co/f6sKFIE8KL
"Gotta get rid of the human factor in umpiring now. they ruin the game of baseball," one fan wrote.
Deservedly so. Load of crap call twitter.com/Sarah_IsabelVe…
@SamBlum3 gotta get rid of the human factor in umpiring now. they ruin the game of baseball
Already, talks of replacing MLB umpires with automated strike-calling systems are making the rounds. The MLB has already tested 'robot umpires', and with increasing mistakes from senior officials, the top brass might contemplate bringing in automated systems permanently.
Here are some more reactions to the incident.
@SamBlum3 if we keep human umpires, PLEASE implement a challenge system
@Sarah_IsabelVee Way off the plate
@Sarah_IsabelVee even the pitcher thought it was a ball
@Sarah_IsabelVee @shoheisaveus That Ump was determined to call that a strike. There was no hesitation 🤦🏿♂️
@SamBlum3 You know it’s bad when Ohtani gets mad
@SamBlum3 Mariners fan here ... that was indeed a ball.
@SamBlum3 He gets a lot of bad calls FACT 💯
@SamBlum3 I am okay if it was called strike if the framing was good. But the catcher was so horrible in framing that one, far out of the zone. Definitely a ball.
Shohei Ohtani is in hot form
Shohei Ohtani seems to be in a rich vein of form with the bat. The 28-year-old is currently on a seven-game hitting streak with a 12 for 28 record. He also hit a two-run dinger off an 84 mph slider in the bottom of the third inning against starter Byran Woo that sailed into the stands.
Only with support from the others in the Angels roster can Ohtani's form be converted into regular wins.