Plate Umpire Has Three Calls Overturned by ABS in Two Innings

Breitbart ^ | 02/25/26 | Dylan Gwinn

[Adder]

Mitch Trzeciak, an umpire who worked Triple-A in 2025, took up position behind home plate for a Grapefruit League matchup between the Pirates and Red Sox, and let’s say it could have gone better.

The troubles for Trzeciak began early. With one out in the first inning, Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski threw what looked like a first-pitch strike to Boston’s Trevor Story. Trzeciak saw it differently and called it a ball. Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez challenged the call. The ABS review showed the pitch was clearly a strike.

That was also strike one against Trzeciak.

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TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: abs; baseball

[citizen]

I was an Atlanta Braves fan for decades. In the 90s, the Braves had two all-star pitchers, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who lived 6 inches off the plate. They had the rep and got the calls. Was the way of the game.

[HIDEK6]

Aren’t they doing that now?

[mistfree]

Yes and my rant says don’t change it.

[NorthMountain]

In addition to: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

We now also have: Garbage Algorithm, Garbage Out.

(See also “global warming”.)

[SaveFerris]

Supposedly the umpire is a fantastic
professional Opera singer as well

[Racketeer]

Can you imagine the power AI will have once it is able to make professional athletes believe and accept whatever it calls?

No more arguments or player - coach ejections over calls. Meanwhile, the public says, “AI is the truth and we must believe it”.

[cgbg]

AI is capable of doing a lot more than it is allowed to do.

Instead of blindly accepting whatever propaganda ADL gives out AI is perfectly capable of researching all sources and footnotes (for example) to verify whether ADL accurately reported basic facts or instead (often the case) replaced those with its opinions.

Following and researching footnotes is a great use of AI—but it has to be allowed to do the work.

[HIDEK6]

You have missed the point.

My suggestion is not aimed at the adoption of AI. It is to point out that IF AI is employed, it would have the advantage of being consistent,

[IndyTiger]

In the 90s, the Braves had two all-star pitchers, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who lived 6 inches off the plate.

Cleveland Indians fans like me haven’t forgotten the ‘95 World Series. The strike calls they were getting were unbelievable.

[Mr. Lucky]

Surely, you must be joking.

[Zack Attack]

One man was ID’d by AI(facial recognition 100% certain he matched the suspect), was thrown in a cell, fingerprinted, booked. Despite tons of evidence he was not that person, everyone along the line chose to believe the AI over the man’s drivers license, job history, marriage etc.

Several people in the process raised common sense questions but would not challenge the 100% certainty of AI facial data despite evidence.

[whitney69]

“He’s a whining, pain in the ass.”

I’ll never understand why “fans” expect perfection from an umpire but accept their own players failures, to include theirs.

In MLB, a daily starting MLB position player typically records between 650 and 750 plate appearances (which includes at-bats, walks, and hit-by-pitches) in a 162-game season. While a high-volume hitter might exceed 700, injuries, days off, or lower batting order positions can reduce this number to around 500–600 for average starters.

The MLB league-wide average batting average has recently hovered around .243 to .248, with the 2024 season finishing at approximately .243. That means that the hitters are successful less than a third of the time.

Let’s look at the extreme success. Average MLB players with significant playing time (roughly 500+ plate appearances) hit approximately 15 to 20 home runs per season. While elite power hitters may exceed 30–40, the league-wide average for a regular starter is closer to 15-18, a number that has risen with recent trends in modern, high-power play. And those numbers equate to less than 10% of the at bats with power numbers.

So let your hero strike out trying to go deep, and it’s okay, he’ll get them next time. But let an official miss one call in hundreds, and it hits everyone’s distaste they need to spit out loudly.

It typically takes drafted players 4 to 6 years to reach Major League Baseball. It typically takes 7 to 10 years for an umpire to advance through the minor leagues and reach Major League Baseball (MLB). MLB players hit, throw, and catch. MLB umpires besides doing the immediate job are required to attend professional umpire training schools to reach the pro level.

The average wage for a player is $5.16M a year. The average wage for an umpire in the show is around $300k annually. And a lot less in the minors. You tell me which one earns their keep?

Senior softball? Fast, modified or slow and which ruling association, ASA, USSSA, or NSA? I’ve been sanctioned in all three at one time or another and called in three states and two countries with them. ASA is the biggest as it covers slow, modified and fast. Unfortunately fast pitch is a dying sport. But it’s the purest of softball. I’ve also been rated in NCAA and Nation Federation. And for more than softball.

My health has stopped me calling but I had a ball doing it from age 10 for minors league little league to NCAA basketball when I finally hung up the whistle in my 50’s. Wish I could still go, but I don’t want to be in emergency by half time.

wy69

[whitney69]

“Had it not been for that bad call, nobody would ever remember Galarraga’s throwing that no-hitter...”

Jim Joyce spent 30 years at the elite level. He was voted the best umpire in Major League Baseball by players in a 2010 ESPN The Magazine poll. And that was after the infamous call. The last person to be perfect they put on the cross. Don’t know any players of officials close to that.

wy69

[SaveFerris]

I’m not joking!

And don’t call me Shirley! 😉😆