Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello had a tough night on the mound vs. the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Bello gave up eight hits and five earned runs during a 9-2 loss.
While it wasn't a good start, it could have been slightly better if not for a crucial mistake by umpire Mark Wegner, which cost Bello a strikeout and forced him out of the game before he could qualify for the win.
The call in question came with two outs in the fourth inning and Astros outfielder Cam Smith at the plate. Bello started off the plate appearance with three swinging strikes, which should have resulted in a strikeout … except no one seemed to notice.
Wegner erroneously believed there was a 2-1 count on Smith after the third pitch of the at-bat. Smith's plate appearance was allowed to continue. Six pitches later, he drew a walk … despite the fact that Bello — in reality — only threw three balls in the plate appearance.
With Bello trailing 6-1 at that point, he was pulled from the game. The Red Sox were able to get out of the inning without allowing any more damage, and went on tolose the contest 9-2.
Wegner was asked about Smith's plate appearance after the game, andadmitted he screwed up, per the New York Post.
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"I just watched the video," Wegner told reporters postgame. "I somehow didn't count the second swinging one because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually strike three … I've never done that before. I'm not happy about it. Just made a mistake."
When asked whether anyone else on the field caught his mistake in the moment, Wegner said, "No one on the field said a word." That, presumably, includes Bello, Red Sox catcher Connor Wong and Red Sox manager Alex Cora, all of who should probably be aware of the count.
Wegner's gaffe came the same night another umpire, C.B. Buckner, came under scrutiny for a bizarre blown call against the Milwaukee Brewers. Buckner initially ruled Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers out at first base, claiming he did not step on the bag while trying to beat out a hit. Replays very clearly showed Buckner was wrong,leading to both managers laughingfollowing the Brewers' challenge.
It marked the second time in just a few days Buckner came under fire for bad calls. On Sunday, Cincinnati Reds fans let Buckner have it after hemissed consecutive callsagainst Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Those calls were overturned thanks to ABS challenges.
Ironically, the mistakes by both Wegner and Buckner on Tuesday. had nothing to do with ABS. Buckner's, at least, was reviewable.
Because of that, Wegner's call was arguably more egregious. A home-plate umpire's top priority is to keep track of the count. It was an embarrassing error.
But if there's a silver lining, the mistake did not affect the outcome of the game. With the Astros already leading by five runs, the game was mostly in hand. And Wegner's error did not lead to more runs.
Still, it wasn't a good look for the umpire, especially during a week where his group hasn't exactly put its best foot forward.
