Kid Umpire Calls MLB Game from the Stands

A young fan attending a Blue Jays-Cardinals Spring Training game dressed like an MLB umpire called balls and strikes from the stands, stealing the show: "This is all we want," exclaimed the St Louis broadcast.

Complete with a pro-style black umpire uniform shirt, facemask, black ball bag (sorry, Cubby!), and heather gray pants, baseball's newest real fake umpire dazzled while calling the game alongside—and, timing-wise, in sync with—HP Umpire Tom Hanahan: "that kid is on point!"

The fake ump monicker refers to the original "Fake Umpires" from 2008-10, Tim Williams and Joe Farrell of Toronto, who in 2015 took to Citi Field for a charity fundraiser, after raising over $10,000 during their first round of fake officiating from the stands. Williams and Farrell previously ejected George Washington from the Presidents' Race in Washington, DC, during a 2009 game.

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Shohei Ohtani's Home Run or Fan Interference in Tokyo?

Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in Game 2 of LA's Tokyo Series sweep over Chicago, but not after umpires reviewed the play for spectator interference. Let's take another look at this call stands decision, made due to lack of clear and convincing evidence.

With one out and none on in the top of the 5th inning, Ohtani hit a 2-2 fastball from Cubs pitcher Nate Pearson to deep right-center field, whereupon a fan reached for and touched the baseball, ruled a home run by 2B Umpire John Libka.

Crew Chief Bill Miller initiated a review for spectator interference, defined by the Official Baseball Rules as occurring "when a spectator (or an object thrown by the spectator) hinders a player’s attempt to make a play on a live ball, by going onto the playing field, or reaching out of the stands and over the playing field."

OBR 6.01(e) specifies what to do when spectator interference occurs: "When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in their opinion will nullify the act of interference."

Replay determined that available camera angles (which themselves suffered from varying degrees of parallax) did not provide clear/convincing evidence to confirm or overturn the call, and thus ruled the original on-field ruling of home run should stand.

Video as follows: