It’s Time For MLB To Do Something About CB Bucknor

Enough is enough.

It’s time for Major League Baseball to do something about 62-year-old (tomorrow) 28-year MLB veteran umpire CB Bucknor, who once again showed why he is among the worst – if not the worst – umpires at baseball’s highest level.

Check Bucknor’s rating of his calls during Tuesday’s 6-3 Dodgers win over the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium per X.com’s @UmpScorecards:

**Although any high school student would gladly take a 91% accuracy score, it doesn’t bode so well when it comes to calling balls and strikes during a pennant race. (@UmpScorecards)**

The most egregiously blown call by Bucknor was the fifth pitch by Dodgers right-handed reliever Joe Kelly to Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger in the top of the eighth inning that should have been strike three but instead was called a ball by Bucknor.

**Kelly’s fifth pitch to Haniger was clearly a strike. Then again, his third pitch was clearly a ball but called a strike by Bucknor, so there’s that. (MLB.com)**

**Dodgers manager Dave Roberts let CB Buckner know that he was not happy with his missed strikeout call in the eighth inning on Tuesday night. (Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)**

But under the category of ‘What goes around comes around,’ Haniger struck out looking at Kelly’s very next pitch, which ended up being the first out of a crucial inning-ending strike ’em out throw ’em out double play, as Dodgers catcher Will Smith caught Mariners pinch runner Dylan Moore trying to steal second base on the pitch.

Not on Will Smith’s watch.
(SportsNet LA)

It is extremely unlikely that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred (et al.) can or will do anything about Bucknor’s incompetence and that of several other horrible umpires. As baseball fans well know, MLB umpires have a very strong association, and any attempt to go after bad umpires could and probably would result in another strike or other job action by MLB umpires.

Play Ball!

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