When an umpire’s strike zone is more of a mystery than a science, it’s no surprise that tempers flare. In a game where questionable calls piled up like a bad dessert at a buffet, a manager’s patience ran out, leading to an early exit. Baltimore Orioles fans, already on edge, were quick to voice their displeasure—because after all, when a game is lost by a single run, every missed call becomes a crucial one.

What is happening in MLB games? A few days ago, it was Manny Gonzalez, and now it is John Bacon. More than the players it looks like the umpires need training on where the strike zone is. After having many wrong calls, the Orioles lost the game by 1 run, and the fans are definitely not happy.

While not many were counting the missed calls, the Umpire Auditor X handle was. They posted on X writing, “Umpire John Bacon missed 8 calls in the first 3 innings, and they all went against the Orioles. After Bacon rang up Westburg twice on bad calls, he ejected manager Brandon Hyde for arguing. He missed 17 calls in the game, and 14 went against the O’s.”

When that many calls go against a single team, people will start to question the integrity of the game. The frustration of the calls boiled over as manager Brandon Hyde approached the umpire in anger. He wanted to make sure the umpire heard just how bad the calls had been. The result? Ejection! That too, before even stepping on the field.

After the game, Hyde did not hide disappointment, stating, “I didn’t really appreciate the strike zone early. I thought Westy got called — yeah like you said — punched out on two balls below the zone in his first two at-bats. I thought we weren’t getting many calls going our way there offensively.”

The frustration of Orioles fans, players, and managers alike is clear—when the umpire’s calls are as questionable as Bacon’s strike zone, it’s no wonder the team feels robbed. With 17 missed calls, 14 of them against the Orioles, it’s hard to argue that the integrity of the game isn’t on the line. Hyde’s ejection, stemming from simply defending his player, was the cherry on top of a very sour sundae. Perhaps it’s time for the MLB to send its umpires back to training camp. Otherwise, they might as well start calling for a replay of the entire season.

Orioles fans lose it after the umps’ call cost them the game

When the strike zone starts shifting like it’s on roller skates, someone’s bound to blow a fuse—and this time, it was Hyde. After umpire Bacon’s baffling series of calls left Jordan Westburg twice frozen at the plate, the Orioles manager let loose and got tossed before he even reached the field. Add 17 missed calls—14 against Baltimore—and fans weren’t just mad; they were keeping receipts.

When players and trainers can have repercussions after making a bad call or doing something wrong, so should the umpires. Having 17 missed calls in a single game is not just a mistake; it is a crime. This has become very common in recent years. There has to be some limit to this, and the MLB will have to take some steps.

While some people are calling out the umpires for making wrong calls, others are calling out the catchers for framing. That is the skill of a catcher that everybody appreciates, though. And even if a catcher is framing pitches, and he is at god-level with it, there is no way an umpire can miss 17 calls, with most of them going against the Orioles.

In a game that went into extra innings and was supposed to provide a nail-biting finish, the Orioles game was overshadowed by missed calls and ejection. If the MLB is searching for a replacement for umpires making 17 wrong calls in a game and costing games, they already have one. It is called Robot Umpires and right now they are looking like the need of the hour.

It all boils down to MLB and its ignorance towards such topics. They might be looking at robot umpires and other tech to better the game, but till then, the umpires have to be held accountable for their mistakes. There has to be some result of making so many bad calls. As this fan has suggested, maybe it is washing out the bottom 10% every year.

According to this fan, he is one of the worst umpires in the business, and baseball might not be for him. Many of the umpires have been making bad calls, but none this bad, at least looking at the reactions. Just a suggestion for the umpire, maybe he should go back to what he was doing before and excel there.

When fans start wishing umpires would revisit their pre-baseball careers, it’s more than just frustration—it’s a cry for reform. If MLB can track every pitch’s location with pinpoint accuracy, surely they can track umpire performance with the same scrutiny. Accountability shouldn’t be optional. Until robot umps take the field, maybe it’s time to retrain or retire the ones who can’t keep up. After all, if you can’t call ‘em straight, maybe don’t call ‘em at all.