All post season there has been an issue with the MLB and umpires screwing up games. Game 4 of the ALCS was no different. In a game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth with runners on 2nd and 1st with 2 outs, Nathan Eovaldi threw a picture perfect strike right on the outside corner. Inning over, Red Sox come up to bat in the bottom of the 9th with a chance to go up 3-1 and have a home game 5 to clinch the series. Only, it wasn’t called a strike. Laz Diaz called it a ball. The Astros went on to score 7 runs that inning, even the series up at 2 games a piece, and set up a pivotal game 5 at Fenway Park.
Laz Diaz was not just bad on that call. He was bad all night. Laz missed 23 ball/strike calls. To his credit it was pretty even with 12 being against the Sox and 11 being against the Stros. However no missed call was bigger than the one I mentioned above. In the regular season, Laz fell into the bottom 7% for ball/strike accuracy, and the bottom 12% for ball/strike consistency. It’s not like he had an uncharacteristic bad game, he has been horse shit all year.
This has been a problem with the MLB during the postseason. Angel Hernandez and Joe West, two umpires who are known universally for being dog shit were given games this postseason. The Dodgers Giants series, a series that featured 2 teams with over 100 wins go to a winner take all game 5, was decided on a 50/50 check swing called strike by a guy 90 feet away. And then tonight. The MLB is having too many unexplainable calls occur, and with no repercussions.
I’m not going to say Robo Umps are the solution. But what happened to the Sox should never have happened. Laz Diaz should have never been in this game. I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, but he’s piss poor at his job. There are almost no jobs where performing in the bottom 7 and 12 percentiles keeps you employed. And not only is this blind asshole still employed, he is given a postseason game! Baseball just needs to put more competent umps behind the plate. Easy solution.
With all this said, Sox in 6.
