The Atlanta Braves fell victim to a pretty brutal called third strike during Sunday’s loss to the Washington Nationals. The call was so bad, in fact, that video of it went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Braves first baseman Matt Olson was facing reliever Steve Cishek in the top of the fifth inning of Sunday’s game, and had worked the count full with two out. Cishek threw a breaking ball that was clearly outside, but somehow, home plate umpire Jose Navas called the pitch strike three, ending the inning.
Full count for Matt Olson and the umpire calls this pitch strike 3 pic.twitter.com/KicaZh0rJ5
— Baseball King (@BasebaIlKing) July 17, 2022
The Braves wound up losing 7-3, but this call came at a key point in the game. At the time, the Nationals led 4-3, and the Braves had a runner at first. Had the pitch been called a ball, All-Star third baseman Austin Riley would have been up with two on and two out and a chance to drive in the tying run.
Botched ball-strike calls like this are not necessarily new, but they seem to get more infuriating every time. However, they may become a thing of the past within the next few years.
