Laz Diaz was involved in yet another controversy this week.
The veteran MLB umpire Diaz was behind the plate as the crew chief for Tuesday’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. During the third inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Diaz gave the verdict on a bizarre call that benefited the Rays.
Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe got ahold of a pitch from Toronto’s Jose Berrios and skied it into right-center field (with two runners on and one out). Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes attempted to make a leaping catch at the wall, but a fan in the stands stretched out to successfully glove the ball instead.
Replays showed that the fan seemed to very clearly reach out over into the field of play on a ball that Lukes had a legitimate play on. Diaz noted that there was indeed fan interference there … but said that it was a home run for Lowe anyway.
“After review, there is fan interference,” said Diaz. “But the ball would have been a home run anyway. So it’s a home run.”
Here is the clip of the full bizarre sequence.
After the Blue Jays challenged for fan interference on this home run, the umpires ruled that it was fan interference but that it would've been a home run anyways pic.twitter.com/NRjNXq1Al8
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 17, 2025
Diaz was quickly roasted over social media over the seemingly contradictory call. Take a look at a sample of the posts on X criticizing him.
Laz Diaz is still a terrible ump I see.
— Candace (@KOLcharmer) September 17, 2025
How can you have fan interference AND have it still be a home run? pic.twitter.com/oohTR9NsF2
Laz Díaz pic.twitter.com/hY3QZgxZGw
— Maybe: Luke (@lukebellus4) September 17, 2025
Laz Diaz making rules up on the go?? #BlueJays
— Carter Hamer (@_CarterHamer) September 17, 2025
"Fan interference but it would have been a home run anyway"
— Chris R (@ChrisRibau) September 17, 2025
– Laz Diaz
I beg your pardon, Laz?#BlueJays #Rays
On the surface, it seems that the two points (1. that there was fan interference and 2. that the ball would have been a home run anyway if not for fan interference) could not both be true at the same time. But that is exactly the verdict that Diaz relayed on Tuesday.
For reference, Blake Murphy of SportsNet shared the relevant language on the fan interference rule in Major League Baseball.
Here's the fan interference rule language, FWIW pic.twitter.com/Pw1GzAsotp
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) September 17, 2025
Diaz already has a reputation as one of the worst umpires in MLB and made another awful call in the very same ballpark earlier this season. Though the fan anger might have been best directed at the off-site replay official instead, Diaz received the brunt of the criticism for the unusual call on Tuesday.
