Umpire confident that he only missed one call, a breakdown

Jul 22, 2024 389.7K views 6:17
MLB 2024

What Happened

In the bottom of the second inning, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luis Suarez steps up to the plate. First base umpire Gabe Morales calls that Suarez did not swing at the pitch, much to the disagreement of the Arizona Diamondbacks dugout. Later in the bottom of the fourth inning, Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker comes to bat. Morales again rules that Walker did not swing at the pitch, with Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo laughing and commenting that if Walker had swung, the ball could have gone over the first baseman. In the top of the fifth inning, George Springer of the Diamondbacks steps up, and this time Morales rules that Springer did swing at the pitch. Springer's teammate, pitcher Chris Bassitt, begins barking at Morales, who ejects Bassitt from the game, saying "Not right now, Chris. I'm sorry. You're out of here." Diamondbacks bench coach Glenn Snyder then comes out to confront Morales, telling him "Don't be barking at my bench. Don't bark at my bench." Morales then reflects on the three close calls, acknowledging that there is no clear rule on what constitutes a swing. He says the Suarez and Springer swings looked similar, and he believes he should have called them the same way. In the next game, Morales is behind the plate as the home plate umpire. When a batter is ruled to have swung, Snyder questions Morales, who stands by his call, saying "I got you. I think you swung." Snyder continues to challenge Morales, asking if he thinks he missed all three calls from the previous game. Morales responds, "John, let me ask you something. You think I missed all three of them yesterday?" Snyder reacts strongly, saying "Are you shitting me?" Morales then says he hears Snyder, and it seems he may be admitting to missing at least one call the previous day. The umpires continue to debate the close calls, with Morales defending his rulings while acknowledging the difficulty in determining what constitutes a swing. Despite the contentious exchange, Reds pitcher Hunter Greene goes on to pitch well, striking out Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy to end the inning. The debate over the definition of a swing continues, with both teams and the umpires struggling to find consistency in the rule.

Full Transcript

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In the bottom of the second inning, Suarez, does he swing at that one?

Did he offer?

No, says first base umpire Gabe Morales.

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Later on, bottom of the fourth inning, Christian Walker's up.