When a seasoned Red Sox veteran takes to social media to blast a young pitcher’s effort, you know something’s gone terribly wrong in Major League Baseball. Want to take any guess what could make an eight-season MLB vet so fired up that he’d publicly call out a struggling Rockies player? Well, it turns out that sometimes the most embarrassing moments in baseball aren’t about talent—they’re about basic effort and focus.

The Colorado Rockies’ nightmare season hit a new low Sunday during their 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, and it wasn’t just the scoreboard that told the story. Jaden Hill threw a wild pitch in the eighth inning that moved Gunnar Henderson from second to third base, but Hill’s mental lapse turned a routine mistake into a disaster.

The right-hander became so frustrated with his errant throw that he completely lost focus on the game situation. While Hill sulked on the mound, Henderson bolted from third base toward home plate. Hill never noticed the runner breaking for home and failed to cover the plate, allowing Henderson to score easily on what should have been a manageable wild pitch recovery. Tbh, it makes sense why this moment perfectly captures Colorado’s disastrous 27-78 season.

Red Sox veteran Jeffrey Dustin Frye, who played eight seasons in the majors from 1992 to 2001 with teams including Boston, Colorado, Texas, and Toronto, didn’t hold back on X when he witnessed Hill’s mental lapse. “DON’T BE LAZY KIDS! The absolute worst thing that you can do on a baseball field is be lazy! Jaden Hill threw a terrible pitch, which happens but what he did after made it worse. 20 years ago he would be on a flight to AAA to learn how to do better. In today’s @MLB. I’m doubtful that anything will happen,” Frye fired off. Well, you know what they say about old-school baseball players—they don’t sugarcoat anything.

Frye’s frustration stems from his own experiences in an era where accountability was swift and unforgiving. The former infielder, who made history by becoming the second Blue Jay to hit for the cycle on August 17, 2001, understands the difference between making mistakes and making excuses. His call-out reflects a growing concern among baseball veterans that today’s game has become too forgiving of fundamental lapses.

The Rockies’ struggles this season—they’re on pace for one of the worst records in franchise history—seem to validate Frye’s point about the consequences of poor effort going unchecked in modern MLB. This accountability vacuum extends beyond player performance into the league’s most critical officiating decisions.

Modern MLB’s Accountability Crisis Extends Beyond Players

While Hill’s lazy play exemplifies individual accountability issues, MLB’s systemic problems run much deeper into officiating disasters. The Los Angeles Angels discovered this firsthand during their recent clash with the New York Mets. Manager Ray Montgomery got tossed after umpires called three strikes on Luis Rengifo—none of which crossed the strike zone.

SNY posted on X saying, “Angels manager Ray Montgomery has been ejected after this strike three call to Luis Rengifo.” The entire Angels dugout erupted, with offensive coordinator Tim Laker also getting ejected. What should have been a potential rally-starting hit instead became another chapter in baseball’s umpiring nightmare.

Home plate umpires have blown over 27,000 pitch calls this season, turning consistency into baseball’s rarest commodity. Umpire Erich Bacchus stands out as a repeat offender, particularly butchering high-zone strikes. During one Anaheim game, he missed eight strikes in the upper zone alone.

MLB keeps preaching integrity while defending the indefensible. Spring training and All-Star Game trials proved that automated ball-strike systems work with near-perfect accuracy. Yet baseball clings to human error like it’s some sacred tradition, creating chaos where standards should exist.