Laz Diaz is really leaning into the theatrics these days.
The veteran umpire Diaz was behind home plate for Monday’s game between the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox. During an at-bat by Boston catcher Connor Wong in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Diaz produced quite the spectacle.
Diaz called a ball on the first pitch of the at-bat to Wong by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo, leading to Royals catcher Salvador Perez tapping on his helmet to initiate an automated ball-strike (ABS) system challenge. The ABS system then proceeded to overturn Diaz’s call into a strike.
It was then deja vu all over again on the very next pitch. Diaz called another slightly high offering from Lugo a ball, resulting in Perez initiating another challenge and getting the call overturned again.
Diaz then decided to get petty with Perez. The third pitch of the at-bat from Lugo came in way high beyond any shadow of a doubt. That led to Diaz theatrically staring down at Perez to confirm that Perez did not want to challenge that pitch as well.
Here is the video of the full sequence.
Salvador Perez is correct on back-to-back challenges, umpire Laz Diaz makes sure he doesn't want to challenge a thirdpic.twitter.com/rFGarZc0Hz
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) May 19, 2026
The 63-year-old Diaz is known for having one of the most questionable strike zones in the bigs and has definitely been getting exposed by the ABS system this season. But that interaction with Perez on Monday was all in good fun, similar to the time that Diaz egged on the fans during a spring training game earlier this year.
