Luis Suarez got frustrated over a confusing sequence of pitches during a recent at-bat. The first pitch was a clear strike called correctly. The second pitch, a front-door cutter that moved back inside the zone, was called a ball, which sparked the frustration. Then came a two-seamer that seemed to catch the plate but was again called a ball. After a couple more pitches and a foul ball, the pitcher went to a curveball for strike three. The issue? That final pitch looked a lot like the earlier one that had been called a ball.
An overlay showed the first pitch was a cutter and the strikeout pitch was a curveball. So while they ended in a similar location, they had different movement and trajectories. Upon review, the strikeout pitch was correctly called, but the earlier cutter probably should’ve been a strike too. This inconsistency upset Suarez, since the earlier call altered his approach in the at-bat. The broadcast used tracking data and multiple angles to break it down, noting how subtle pitch differences can lead to big reactions when calls feel off.