Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki struck out on one of the most ridiculous called third strikes we have ever seen during Friday night's game against Pittsburgh.
It happened as Suzuki came up as the leadoff batter in the bottom of the eighth inning with the game tied at 2-2. On the 2-2 pitch, Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson threw an 85 mph slider that started out high and stayed there. Suzuki watched the ball as it was caught by catcher Henry Davis a few inches above the K-Zone that viewers watching the game could see at home. However, home plate umpire Brock Ballou made the strike three call.
Marquee Network broadcasters ripped the call by Ballou, as they were shocked that Suzuki was rung up by a pitch that "was never in the strike zone."
"(Seiya) Suzuki rung up on a pitch that was not in the strike zone." - Boog Sciambi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 15, 2025
"It was never in the strike zone... Just gotta be better than that in a situation, tight game like this." - Ryan Dempster ⚾️👮♂️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/0NxLcE6hTR
We have seen quite a few terrible pitch calls by home plate umpires this year, and this only justifies the switch to the Automated Ball/strike System (ABS) in the near future. Not sure what Ballou was looking at with that pitch call.
The Cubs were unable to score in the eighth, and the Pirates took the lead in the ninth with a home run to win the game 3-2.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
