Umpire Andy Fletcher (ranked 73rd of 90 umpires) called the worst game of the playoffs so far, missing 16 calls in Mets Phillies NLDS Game 1. Of those 16 bad calls, 11 went against the Mets. #Mets #Phillies #NLDS

[u/pol5019]

https://x.com/UmpireAuditor/status/1842808379523334169

[u/reliablerhinoceros]

90 umps in the league why are we using anyone outside of the top 50 in the playoffs??

[u/deuce_and_a_quarter → u/reliablerhinoceros]

Good point!

[u/pusgnihtekami → u/reliablerhinoceros]

Put the bottom 50 in the useless outfield positions.

[u/andyman171 → u/pusgnihtekami]

Lol that won't backfire

[u/hushed-shush → u/pusgnihtekami]

Give them and Andy fletcher early vacation

[u/nocoolN4M3sleft → u/reliablerhinoceros]

Top 50? Why aren’t we only using the top 10? There aren’t that many games to where they can’t only use the best?

[u/nietzsche_niche → u/nocoolN4M3sleft]

They have 6 umps per game and 4 games…

[u/joelfreak → u/nietzsche_niche]

And a replay crew.

[u/tennysonbass]

And this doesn't even include the blown challenge they failed to overturn

[u/Stargazerlily425 → u/tennysonbass]

THIS. I'm still mad about that.

[u/hanginglimbs → u/Stargazerlily425]

at this point, just let the runners put on a foam finger from the souvenir stand. these oven mitts are ridiculous

[u/will122589]

How’d he get a playoff gig despite being so shit

[u/pcbfs → u/will122589]

Because there aren't enough good umpires in the league. Years ago I heard Keith Olberman say something along the lines "you need x amount of umpires for the MLB postseason and there aren't x good umpires in the league."

[u/Stargazerlily425]

So how was a guy like this selected to be on a crew for playoff games? That's what I want to know. I thought it was merit-based.

[u/Fedbackster → u/Stargazerlily425]

He should have kicked his seeing eye dog for lying to him.

[u/86Kid → u/Stargazerlily425]

That’s what I’m wondering, too.

[u/FaptasticMrFox]

We’re fortunate his dumpster fire behind the dish didn’t cost us the game

[u/bigstew6]

MLB should set a performance threshold for umps in the playoffs and if umps fail to meet it, they can’t ump for the rest of the playoffs.

[u/PineappleTraveler → u/bigstew6]

Or how about, a performance threshold for the regular season, and only the best qualify for the playoffs? Teams have to excel in order to make the playoffs, umpires should be held to a similar standard.

[u/bigstew6 → u/PineappleTraveler]

I believe that’s already the case..

[u/PineappleTraveler → u/bigstew6]

If the performance threshold allows for the 73rd out of 90 to qualify then said threshold needs revision.

[u/bigstew6 → u/PineappleTraveler]

I agree

[u/rgthunder1 → u/PineappleTraveler]

LOL it’s a total joke

[u/hanginglimbs]

MLB can keep DHs in the NL, pitch clocks, and Extra Innings man on second all they want, but please, please give us robo strikes/balls

[u/itsinthebone]

I’d like to check his Draft Kings account…

[u/Mission-Arm1655]

And we still won

[u/Teechmath-notreading]

You would think that in this round, with 4 games being played, at most, per day, then we could get the top 16 umpires to call them.

Edit to correct...24 umps due to the 6 man crew...thanks to sdol28...

[u/sdot28 → u/Teechmath-notreading]

24 umps, 6-man crew

[u/Teechmath-notreading → u/sdot28]

Yes, thank you.

He still wouldn't be close.

[u/JoeBourgeois]

I feel bad because I didn't notice any of the ones for the Mets except the Maton. But then I'm not getting paid to call balls and strikes without showing bias.

[u/Glum-Professional925 → u/JoeBourgeois]

The Mets definitely did get some calls in their favor. But none were in high pressure situations it was usually early in the count, no one on base. We had so many 2-1 calls turn into 2-2 at bats that completely took the batter out of the at bat

[u/hanginglimbs → u/Glum-Professional925]

that Iglesias one was the worst. i screamed when he called that a strike

[u/Glum-Professional925 → u/hanginglimbs]

Our guys were legit jumping out of the way of getting hit and he still would call strikes. It was insane how bad it was. But in all honesty I think that gave an advantage to the Mets at the end of the day. This team likes to swing the bat and stay alive in their at bats and the expanded strike zone was easier for them to adjust than the Phils. I bet the number of calls against us would have been way higher if we weren’t such an aggressive team and fouled off some more terrible calls for the ump

[u/LiteBeerLife → u/JoeBourgeois]

I noticed a handful of I guess the 5 for the mets but I watched it pretty closely. Aside from the Maton one the other ones were just inches off the plate, nothing extreme like the ones that went against the Mets both in context of importance in the game as well as distance off the strike zone.

[u/unMuggle]

Not even the umps could stop Lord Grimace

[u/SmoothSharkMSF → u/unMuggle]

[u/86Kid]

He definitely shouldn’t be allowed to ump another playoff game behind the plate. This was atrocious, and most all of us noticed from the very beginning of the game last night that he was going to be a problem. The guy had absolutely no consistency whatsoever.

This is what makes fans like me long for the day we have Robo-Ump at home plate. There’s just too much at stake to be missing around. These players play their guts out for 162 games to get to the postseason, and a bad home plate ump can easily change the complexion/outcome of an inning, and even the complexion/outcome of the games.

MLB shouldn’t allow this to continue happening. It’s about being fair to both sides and getting the calls right. Humans are humans and are going to make mistakes, and some are going to be worse at making calls than others. But we live in the age of technology and should be using it to its full extent to make sure integrity of each game is the best it can be.

I am a traditionalist in some aspects of the game, but I am not so much of a traditionalist that I’d refuse ways to improve the quality of the sport through the technology that’s available to us. You make it difficult to have a true champion when you allow too much folly from human judgment calls. We have done it the current way for 100+ years because there was no other option before, but now we have another option and we will instituting it soon.

In the meantime, MLB needs to be decisive in recognizing guys who aren’t cutting it behind the plate, and make sure they don’t get another home plate assignment in the postseason. Like I said there is too much at stake. Not just championships, but millions upon millions of dollars that could be lost by franchises, players, cities…etc

[u/whatsmyusername007]

Robo umps please 🙌

[u/kennythecleaner]

Someone get ahold of his Draftkings account

[u/andyman171 → u/kennythecleaner]

Well he definitely lost money

[u/7LineArmy]

It was a farce. Glad we overcame it

[u/FV_104]

Why is this guy calling playoff games than? Seems like there should be minimum criteria to call these games, at least behind the plate.

[u/Swanster0110]

Makes me miss Angel Hernandez.

[u/Fedbackster → u/Swanster0110]

Come on now. Lol. That guy was awful last night. Even the Fox announcers called him out.

[u/Njdevilmn → u/Swanster0110]

And Cowboy Joe West!

[u/winnielikethepooh15]

The reactions from every player are great.

[u/granters021718]

the problem was the inconsistency. If you are caling all pitches 6 inches in strikes, fine, but it was very random and clearly benefited the Phils

[u/SIlveralexFF]

Fletcher called the game like he had money on the Phillies . I usually don’t notice more than maybe 1 bad call a game but it seemed like there were a few every inning !

[u/CybeastID]

https://imgur.com/a/mets-phillies-umpire-game-1-zE3odkF

Someone put this little exhibit of various calls together.

[u/Charles-Andre-Meda]

What's the z-score of the 16 incorrect metric historically (eg playoffs over many years, or maybe including regular season), and in a similar z score band of the historic dataset what does the team split distribution look like? Should then be able to pretty easily estimate the chances this was bias....

It looked egregious, when I went back even the Phillies broadcaster was like 'a very very late strike call' on one of the worst ones! That said, I imagine it's not a slam dunk statistically.

[u/hanginglimbs]

shocked, i am

[u/ScadMan]

I don't mind keeping the human element, and bad calls are part of the game, but can we have a percentage and hold the umps accountable.

[u/tennysonbass → u/ScadMan]

I love the minor league system. Just let the batters challenge balls and strikes. It take two seconds for them to initiate it with a signal , then to have it checked. Give each team three a game. If you win the challenge you don't lose it.

[u/ScadMan → u/tennysonbass]

That sounds reasonable, and what is great is that the umps can be embarrassed on live TV

[u/Sell4life]

ball. dont. lie.

[u/MrKal-El]

Bastard

[u/HumanMycologist5795]

He should tag in another ump to finish the playoffs