Steven Matz took the mound for the Blue Jays and started his outing with a clear fastball strike to Michael A. Taylor. The pitch was right down the middle, but the umpire didn’t call it. Matz leaned slightly in surprise while the catcher let the ump know he missed one. The ump gave an awkward response, realizing the mistake. On replay, it was a textbook strike.
Matz followed up with a swinging strike to even the count. Then came a borderline pitch at the knees that the ump did call a strike. Taylor looked unsure, but the ball caught the edge. On the next pitch, Matz missed inside, yet the ump called it a strike again. Taylor turned and let the ump know he got burned twice. It was a clear makeup call.
The broadcast pointed out the contradiction. Pitch one, right down the pipe, was called a ball. Pitch four, well inside, got ruled a strike. Even the camera caught some fans laughing. The exchange gave a quick glimpse into how umpires sometimes balance missed calls, even if it means piling on the confusion.