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| Pitch f/x: Ball 4 call was proper. |
These are CB Bucknor (54)'s third and fourth ejections of 2013.
CB Bucknor now has 12 points in the UEFL (6 + 2*[2 MLB] + 2 Y + 0 U = 12).
Crew Chief Dale Scott now has 7 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (5 Previous + 2 Correct/U Call = 7).
These are the 170th and 171st ejections of the 2013 MLB season.
This is the 82nd Manager ejection of 2013.
This is the 77th player ejection of 2013. Prior to ejection, Wood's line was 4.2 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 BB.
This is the Braves' 9th/10th ejection of 2013, 1st in the NL East (ATL 10; WAS 8; NYM 6; PHI 4; MIA 2).
This is Fredi Gonzalez's 4th ejection of 2013 and first since July 25, 2013 (Chad Fairchild; QOC = Incorrect).
This is Alex Wood's first career MLB ejection.
This is CB Bucknor's first ejection since May 19, 2013 (Clint Hurdle; QOC = Correct).
Wrap: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals, 9/18/13
Video: After Wood walks Werth to force in a run, Bucknor calmly tosses Gonzalez as Wood is fired up (ATL)
Video: After losing focus, Wood ejected arguing a pitch computers prove was correctly ruled a ball (Soon)
Hey podunk baseball fans, how do you like your computerized strikezone now?
ReplyDelete^Mainly directed at broadcasters like that one who jump all over umpires for calling a close pitch ball or a strike and then even after the computer proves the umpire was right, the loudmouth announcer STILL says the call was wrong. Oh wait, this is Atlanta's crew, home of the "infield fly only applies on balls hit to the pitcher" theory.
ReplyDeleteThat's why i said on the mlb page that announcers couldn't do there job with the tools they have right now. That was a burtual for announcers... i thought fox had more class than again... maybe im just dreaming
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the announcers, I blame MLB and PBUA. They could put an end to this junk if they would just do it.
ReplyDeleteCB Bucknor is a horrible umpire that I wouldn't hire to work a little league game. Completely inconsistent. And I can't wait to see the PitchFX because I don't give a crap what the TV zone said, that's a strike.
ReplyDeleteAnd I base my opinion not just on that pitch. His performance in this entire game is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteAs a Braves fan, I am ashamed of our announcing crew tonight. And Wood's reaction to the call was absurd - you're a major league pitcher, not a 15 year old: keep your damn composure.
ReplyDeletehttp://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30725333&c_id=mlb
ReplyDeleteWell that pitch had a px value of -0.84 meaning it is in the borderline range by UEFL rules. If Bucknor would have called it a strike it would have also been considered correct.
ReplyDeleteAlso here are Bucknor's plots. They look pretty good to me, some incorrect low strikes but other than that he seemed pretty good.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the PitchFX that is listed at the top of this page and that the ruling is based on?
ReplyDeleteTwo misses and three borderlines is pathetic?
ReplyDelete1. you don't hire umpire for little leauge game its more volunteer there other leagues that pay umpires. That was a ball so its time to take your blind fanboy googlies off.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand people on this site. They give the umpire credit for a correct call when Brooks has it catching the plate, yet if the pitch was called a strike and one of the Nationals was ejected, it also would have been a correct call. The umpire can't be wrong in a situation like this. Is it a ball or a strike? It can't be correct both ways.
ReplyDeleteI know there are "rules" on this site (Miller, Kulpa, whatever), but if you admit that the computerized strike zone has its faults, don't cite the Brooks plot for evidence of a correct or incorrect call in support of the umpire. I have respect for umpires and the nearly impossible job they do, but as with any other tough occupation, mistakes are often made.
Now your a True Baseball fan in my eyes Chapman there not many like you around. I remember when i was doing little league for free. I also ask how the umpire was he said the umpire was right or some stuff like that. All the time. his dad was an umpire i think that had some effect on it.
ReplyDeleteYet those mistakes are not criticizes daily on national tv. and replay over and over and over and over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteAnd what shall we cite instead? The PitchFX data, even with its inaccuracies, is the most accurate source available to us.
ReplyDeleteThe Kulpa rule is exactly what comes into play here. Any pitch between 0.768 and 0.935 as well as -0.768 and -0.935 is considered a borderline pitch. If you look at the plots that are is almosty exactly on the corners of each vertical side of the plate. Every single computerized system is going to have some sort of graphical or data error and this rule along with the Miller rule take that into account. This may not change your opinion of pitch fx or UEFL rules, but like Bapacop said, these are the best available numbers that are available to the public and it is what we have to go on.
ReplyDeleteYou can't cherry pick though. When the PitchFX shows a strike to be in the box and a ball to be out, Brooks is cited. When PitchFX doesn't support the call, you use even more inaccurate data like the above FOXTRAX (which I hate because it varies batter to batter). Pick your source and stick with it. With the rules on this website, there have been several situations like this where the umpire simply cannot be wrong. Can a pitch be a strike and a ball? Would that make sense?
ReplyDeleteWe're not cherry picking. We ARE using PitchFX. The c
ReplyDeletePoliticians...I get your point, though. I acknowledged umpires get a lot of flack, but usually the flack comes from people whose opinion should not be taken seriously (the notorious umpire-haters MIchael Wilbon and any other talking head from ESPN). Most of the time the umpires are right. Not always, though. In this situation, however, I think there was a legitimate complaint.
ReplyDeleteI can respect that.
ReplyDeleteAttention CCS, 2nd base umpire Andy fletcher has ejected Adrian Gonzalez arguing a play at home plate due to a possible missed safe call by Jim Joyce who is filling in for Sam Holbrook. Pedro Gomez of Espn said that Gonzalez told fletcher that u guys on moving from base to base need to hussle more.
ReplyDeleteAdrian Gonzalez just got ejected by Andy Fletcher, who actually had nothing to do with the call. I was watching this game on ESPN, it was a hit to LF so U3 Drake rotated to the outfield which sent PU West to cover 3rd and U1 Jim Joyce to cover the plate. There was a close play at the plate, and Joyce called Michael Young out at the plate. Joyce was in good position but replay shows that he did miss the call. Gonzalez was the batter who hit the double and after the out call he started chirping from second base. Fletcher immediately threw him out.
ReplyDeleteESPN dugout Reporter Pedro Gomez reported Gonzalez said out loud to nobody in particular "If Joyce is going to rotate home he needs to hustle." and that is one Fletcher ejected him. To me, that is a good ejection by Fletcher if that is what Adrian said. I was actually pleasently surprised that Nomar and Mark Mulder in the booth did not criticize Joyce even though he got the call wrong. They kept talking about how tough of a call it was. They also criticized Gonzalez for 1)arguing a play that didn't involve him 2) Hurting his team in the process by removing himself from the game 3) Stating that Joyce actually did hustle and was in good position, he just missed the call.
I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Dan Uggla was called out on a pitch more inside than the pitch Wood made to Werth is inexcusable. That's what I'm talking about...inconsistency. There's a reason CB has been voted worst umpire by players several times over the course of his career. He is a pathetic ball and strike umpire and always has been. He's not combative, unlike Angel Hernandez and others, he's just simply bad.
ReplyDeleteThey can on this site, which is ridiculous. It's either a strike or a ball, it can't be both in reality. Yet it is here. My major beef with CB is that pitch was called a ball, yet he called Uggla out on a pitch more inside than this one. That's inexcusable for a major league umpire. Call it the same every time.
ReplyDeleteConsistency is not a single pitch. It is not two pitches. It is the entire game. Consistency is not every two strike count. It is not every three-oh count. It is the entire game. Look at the chart. There is exactly one inconsistent call; a called strike well outside the zone.
ReplyDeleteWood's fire is probably the reason the Braves won the game. Lets stop with the righteous indignation for a pitiful umpire.
ReplyDeleteYou realize that they won the game while Wood was sitting in the clubhouse doing nothing and having no possible effect, right?
ReplyDeleteEver hear of Schrödinger's cat? This is kind of like that. There is an inherent level of inaccuracy in the PitchFX system. There is a certain area around the borders of the zone where, due to this inaccuracy, it is impossible to determine with certainty whether or not the pitch is a ball or a strike. So we give the umpire the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteIt does if you think emotion doesn't play a part - which I happen to think it does. BTW, this isn't the first time the Braves announcers have made disparaging remarks about C.B. I was listening to a game on the radio 9 or 10 years back when the opposing manager was ejected after C.B. called a pitch down the middle a ball. Joe Simpson openly lamented that C.B.'s crew chief at the time had to deal with the fallout from his awful calls. Bobby Cox made it through the game unscathed...remarkably.
ReplyDeleteIn the video, you can hear Gonzalez tell his teammates and coaches in the dugout, "All I said was 'You need to hustle'!". And he said it with a tone of shock in his voice. He was shocked that what he said got him ejected. I'm shocked that he didn't know such a comment *would* get him ejected.
ReplyDeleteLooks to me the Braves got one pitch way outside to a LH. C.B.'s inside corner is the definition of inconsistent. There are 5 pitches in that area, three were called strikes, two were called balls. And one of those strike calls is farther inside than Wood's pitch, which is on the line of the strike zone. Inexcusable.
ReplyDeleteIf the pitch is borderline, especially when it is even in the electronic borderline range, you can't complain about the umpire as being inconsistent, especially when the catcher pulls the pitch. Stick it and you probably get that call.
ReplyDeleteBraves fan myself and couldn't agree more. Rather surprised with the announcers, as they typically aren't like that.
ReplyDeleteUggla got called on the same pitch on full count. was it fair. no. but he should have swung.
ReplyDeleteTo who ever posted this...
ReplyDeleteI understand that this was the correct call... THIS TIME! But, could you please show the world the UEFL that shows the strike called to Dan Uggla later in the game. Could you then put the pictures side-by-side for comparison purpose?
Again, CB Bucknor is inconsistent in his duties. It is time MLB (meaning Peter Woodfork, Randy Marsh, Rich Riekera and Joe Torre) to do something about this umpire. Stop defending this arrogant man, and remove him from the game we all love. We do not have to spend our hard earn money to see people like him.
You must be kidding me, right?!?!
ReplyDeleteI applaud the fact that the commentators stand up for the players. The fact that they can see what we ALL see... the arrogance and inconsistency of CB Bucknor.
I think it was a good call, but McCann didn't pull the pitch. There's going to be some glove movement every time the ball is caught, but the only significant movement is the top of the glove coming down as he squeezes it
ReplyDeleteYou keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
ReplyDeleteIf you're trying to demonstrate that Bucknor is inconsistent, perhaps you should present a game where he is consistently inconsistent, as opposed to a game where he was only inconsistent for a single pitch.
ReplyDeleteEvery Umpire is going to miss a couple of pitches every game. The average is about 9-10 and looking at the plots of Bucknor, that actually looks a little better than league average. I haven't looked at the Uglla pitch everybody is talking about but even if it was incorrect, that happens sometimes. CB Bucknor is a human being and humans sometimes mess up. Some of you Braves fans need to chill out. Watch there game on Friday and I gurantee you the HP Umpire is going to miss a few pitches. But nobody will talk about it because it is not CB Bucknor or Angel Hernandez.
ReplyDeleteWhat about those low strikes he gave to Atlanta? Oh wait, since it helped the Braves it is irrelevant to you. Believe it or not these plots are considered pretty good. Again, UMpires sometimes make mistakes, I am not sure what you don't understand about that.
ReplyDeleteHow is Bucknor being arrogant here? If a player says "f@#% you" directly at an Umpire like Wood did, that will be an ejection every time and it does not make an UMpire arrogant. Also an Umpire calling a close pitch a ball does not make him arrogant.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to pro school so you can take his job? Oh wait. That means you would have to have a set of balls to go!!
ReplyDeleteHow?
ReplyDeleteI think CB Bucknor is one of the worst umpires out there. I've thought that for years now and have yet to change my opinion (and do not think I'll be changing it anytime soon).
ReplyDeleteThat said, Wood's pitch location is a judgment call through and through. That will never change. Joe Simpson has been around long enough to know that.
And that isn't being a Bucknor apologist. Because I personally believe that in the case of a borderline pitch (like this one), if the batter can't swing the bat, he should have his ass firmly planted on the bench. However, that's a philosophy, not a rule. Another umpire would call that a strike for that very reason. But not every umpire. And that was the case here.
I would love to see your own plot that must be so much better than Bucknor's.
ReplyDeleteInconceivable!
ReplyDeleteYou fine them for making derogatory comments about the officiating.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fanboys come out of the woodwork. It's really getting tiresome at this point in the season to even get mad at them. They're so pathetic it's almost funny. Bucknor misses one pitch against Atlanta (Nevermind those couple of low strikes they got on that chart), and all of a sudden he needs to be fired. These guys get this stuff from idiots like Keith Law who is on Twitter on a nightly basis running umpires into the ground. Umpires talk badly about coaches and fans, but the sports media is full of the biggest bunch of pompous, know-it-all, wannabe assclowns in the world.
ReplyDeletePlease, please, PLEASE go look up what "precision" means in terms of a statistical plot. You're just making yourself look bad.
ReplyDeleteI didn't snatch it, he pulled it. A subtle but very perceptible move.
ReplyDeleteOK, I just looked at the video again, and I'm still gonna say he didn't pull the pitch. If you compare the position of the glove to the pad he wears on his right shoulder, there is little or no movement toward the plate.
ReplyDeleteAgain, there is going to be a small amount of movement every time the ball is caught--that's not pulling a pitch, even subtly. It's just the physics of catching 90 mph baseball.
I understand what you are saying, I went back and looked at it again. He called for the pitch lower and from the front mostly what you see is him moving his glove up to catch the pitch, but there is a slight movement in. You have to remember very subtle things get called at the MLB level that we let go at our levels. Doesn't mean we don't see them but we don't have the talent level to allow us to call it. My son was a catcher and I am a umpire trainer so I am very intuned to what catchers do.
ReplyDelete