Umpire Bruce Dreckman Makes Worst Call of MLB Season So Far
He may not be on our list of the 10 worst umpires in Major League Baseball, but Bruce Dreckman made a call on Saturday that could put him in the running for next yera. It was as bad as it gets, and easily the worst call of the 2024 MLB season so far.
The Philadelphia Phillies were hosting the Atlanta Braves and Dreckman was behind the plate. After the Braves scored two runs in the top of the first, the Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom half against lefty Max Fried. Nick Castellanos was up with two outs and things got dicey.
Castellanos faced a 2-2 count when Fried threw a 98 mph fastball right down the middle. The outfielder watched it go by and, to the astonishment over everyone in the park, Dreckman called it a ball.
Here's video:
Here is the 2-2 pitch that preceded the Castellanos bases-loaded walk. Fried would have escaped the inning unscathed. Now he exits having recorded just two outs and with the Phillies leading 3-2 in the first. pic.twitter.com/UEPVxElp6s
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 30, 2024
That is as bad as it gets. Fried couldn't have placed that pitch any better.
The missed call had an impact on the game. Instead of getting out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout, Fried walked Castellanos on the next pitch to force in a run. Bryson Stott followed with a two-run single and the Phillies led 3-2 after one inning.
Don't cry too hard for the Braves, though. They have since gone on to score 11 runs and lead 11-4 late in the game. Still, Dreckman's call is the reason people hate MLB's current crop of umpires.