John Libka had an outstanding game behind the plate, earning one of the best umpire scorecards ever seen. He posted a 99 percent overall accuracy rate, hit 100 percent on outside zone calls, and only missed a single pitch all game. Even that one miss wasn’t clear-cut. The system rated it a strike that he called a ball, but it didn’t affect the outcome on the mound. Libka’s accuracy hooked attention because he’s not a well-known name in ump circles, which is often a good sign. He came into the league in 2018 with the best ever bad call ratio for a rookie at just 7.59 percent.
These umpire scorecards, widely shared on Twitter and even followed by players like Josh Donaldson, track how accurately umps call balls and strikes. Compared to other umpires with messier scorecards, Libka’s performance stood out. Ron Kulpa, for example, was shown missing several calls in comparison. Umpires often face criticism when they get it wrong, so it’s rare to see one get attention for being consistent. Libka earned it this time.