David Ross had seen enough. During Sunday Night Baseball, the Cubs manager was tossed after arguing balls and strikes with rookie umpire Alex Bacchus, who was calling a rough game behind the plate. Early in the game, Bacchus kept giving strike calls on pitches clearly outside the zone. His call accuracy dropped to 83.3 percent, the lowest recorded this season. Things boiled over when a questionable call during a Chris Bryant at-bat pushed Ross past his limit. He shouted from the dugout, got ejected, then walked out calmly and laid into Bacchus.
Instead of a quick blow-up, Ross delivered detailed criticism, reportedly offering pointers on how Bacchus might improve his zone judgment. The rookie ump just stood and absorbed it. On the next pitch, Bryant struck out. The very next inning, Bacchus continued making the same mistakes. The crowd and dugouts weren’t thrilled. Ross’s frustrations echoed what most players and coaches were feeling. The ump’s inconsistent zone was affecting the flow and fairness of the game.