Juan Soto strikes out looking despite each pitch missing zone in another umpiring embarrassment

 

Six balls, zero strikes, zero swings and yet one strikeout for Juan Soto.

That’s the state of MLB umpiring in 2024.

Umpire John Tumpane had a particularly egregious zone during the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the A’s on Tuesday when he rung up Soto — known for having an elite eye — despite not a single pitch from Oakland’s Paul Blackburn finding the strike zone.

All six of Blackburn’s pitches should have been called balls — with perhaps one call questionable at best — but Tumpane ruled that half of them had clipped the zone.

Soto even thought he walked after the fifth pitch and seemed frustrated with the at-bat after being called out on a borderline pitch, tossing his bat in the air.

“So Juan Soto didn’t see a strike that at-bat,” Yankees announcer Ryan Ruocco said, “and yet struck out looking.”

It’s sequences like this that only heighten the call for robot umpires since Tumpane clearly whiffed on the calls and cost Soto an opportunity to reach base.

And it comes one day after Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed from the game in the first inning after home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt mistook a fan’s taunt for the manager.

Juan Soto didn’t see a strike during this seven pitch at-bat and the umpire still struck him out. Ump show.