Michael Fulmer was in a fiery mood after Saturday’s loss to Houston.
The Detroit Tigers righty was tagged for a career-high seven earned runs in 4.2 innings of work in the eventual 9-1 loss to the defending champion Astros. Following the game, Fulmer tore into home plate umpire Pat Hoberg, calling him “god-awful.” The 25-year-old also ripped Hoberg’s strike zone as “the worst I’ve seen, by far,” per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.
Michael Fulmer was not a fan of home plate umpire Pat Hoberg's performance today. "The guy was god-awful today," he said.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) July 14, 2018
Fulmer said Hoberg apologized for what, after video review, appeared to be 10 missed strikes. Fulmer called his strike zone "the worst I've seen, by far."
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) July 14, 2018
Fulmer allowed 12 batters to reach base on the afternoon (on ten hits and two walks) and struck out just two batters. The outing dropped him to 3-9 on the season and ballooned his ERA to 4.50 through 19 starts.
The Tigers are also a miserable 40-57, which has to make facing an unfriendly strike zone doubly frustrating. The good news though is that Fulmer should have a long leash to work through his issues if you believe one recent report.
