Umpire CB Bucknor tells Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh no more warm up pitches, a breakdown
What Happened
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh steps out to the mound to warm up his pitcher, as he typically does before an inning. However, home plate umpire CB Bucknor intervenes, telling Raleigh that he is only allowed one more warm-up pitch before the inning starts. Raleigh appears confused, arguing that the typical protocol is for the catcher to receive three warm-up pitches. Bucknor stands firm, insisting that the rules state the catcher gets only one additional pitch once he comes out to the mound. Raleigh shakes his head in disagreement, but Bucknor remains unwavering. The Mariners' manager then emerges from the dugout to discuss the matter with Bucknor. He explains that the standard practice is for catchers to receive three warm-up pitches whenever they come out to the mound, and that Bucknor is deviating from the norm. Bucknor continues to rebuff the manager's explanation, reiterating that the rules state the catcher gets just one more pitch once he leaves the dugout. The manager appears exasperated, unable to sway Bucknor's stance on the issue. Raleigh and the Mariners' dugout continue to express their disagreement, but Bucknor stands firm in his decision. Ultimately, the dispute over the warm-up pitches is resolved without any ejections, and the game continues. While the exact rule on this matter may be up for debate, Bucknor's strict interpretation of the protocol has left the Mariners and their fans perplexed. The incident serves as a reminder that even the most routine aspects of the game can occasionally become points of contention between players, managers, and umpires.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentThis dispute over warm-up pitches is brought to you by DraftKings.
You got Cal Raleigh's the catcher, C.B. Buckner is the umpire.
They're warming up. Catcher just came out.
You can see C.B. Buckner right here saying,
one more, one more, one more.
You can see the infielder ready for the throw coming down,
but Cal throws it back to the pitcher and C.B. says,
no, no, that's it, that's it, I said one more.
You know? And Cal's like, I said one more.
I told you, you got one more. Throw it down.
And now they're arguing, and C.B. Buckner's like,
nah, nah, enough, you know the rules.
And he's going to say, it's only one more pitch once you come out here.
That's it. That's the rules.
Turns, knows the manager's coming.
Manager comes out, he says, every time the catcher comes out, he gets three.
Everybody does the same.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, wait a minute, what do you mean no?
The time doesn't stop.
The time doesn't stop.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
When we shut it down.
When we shut it down.
When we shut the clock down, and the catcher comes out, he gets one pitch,
and he throws it down.
C.B., every time it's the same.
No, no.
They stop it when the catcher comes out.
Everybody waves the clock off, C.B.
Yeah, but once we wave the clock off, you only get one more pitch.
Cal's shaking his head.
Rowdy just shaking his head.
But it's once you come out, one more pitch.
That's all.
All right.
Manager just can't even respond.
Just walks away.
Licks his lips.
C.B. licking his lips.
Tossing the ball.
Feeling good about himself.
No ejections.
Just a dispute over warm-up pitches.
Necessary?
Probably not.
What's the actual rule?
Gonna have to check somewhere else.
I didn't deem this one worthy of me checking.
Who cares?
Everyone.
Thanks to DraftKings for sponsoring this breakdown.
Appreciate them.
Appreciate you.
Appreciate baseball.
Fighting about warm-up pitches.