It wasn’t a good day for the Seattle Mariners, as they lost by 9-3 to the Washington Nationals. Although they are atop the AL West with a 30-25 record, they have found themselves in the middle of a controversy that quickly became the talk of the town. Their shortstop, whom they extended with a $51 million contract in 2022, got into a heated argument with plate umpire Andy Fletcher on Thursday night after Fletcher called a third strike that appeared to be outside the strike zone. What happened wasn’t anything unexpected, as first isn’t the first time the league’s umpiring standards have been questioned.

With the Mariners trailing by 2-0, a moment that captured everyone’s attention was when shortstop J.P. Crawford stepped in to bat. Soon after, while facing the pitcher, Mackenzie Gore, he was called out on the third strike. And you know what followed? Shouting. Crawford was seen shouting, “That’s not a strike man.” 

Let’s analyze the pitch: it was clearly outside the strike zone. However, umpire Fletcher mistakenly called it a strike. Although Crawford stayed on the field after the pitch, he was quickly ejected for arguing over the call, which instantly drew fan reactions. SeattleSporting posted the clip on Reddit: “JP Crawford has some words for the home plate umpire after a strike 3 call off the plate, and he gets his money’s worth after being ejected.” Fans were quick to respond.

JP Crawford has some words for the Home Plate Umpire after a strike 3 call off the plate and he gets his moneys worth after being ejected
byu/SeattleSporting inbaseball

Upon review, it was indeed a terrible call. Crawford was playing well, and facing a pitcher like Gore is a difficult task, especially for a left-hander like Crawford. During his first at-bat, Crawford grounded out to the shortstop, followed by a pop-up to left field in the third inning. To say the least, he appeared comfortable facing Gore.

And why wouldn’t he be? Although he hit only four home runs this season, he has a .251 batting average, a .372 OBP, and a .716 OPS. However, his heroics didn’t last long, unfortunately, due to a poor call. In the sixth inning, facing Gore for the third time, the first pitch was a slider ruled a strike, and then there was another fastball clocked at 95 mph, also ruled a strike. The third pitch, again ruled a strike, was several inches outside the strike zone. Crawford was called out.

The Mariners soon replaced him with Leo Rivas. As expected, Dylan Moore moved to shortstop and Rivas played second base. These moves highlight how poor the umpiring standards have been this season. It serves as a reminder of how such calls can cost teams big games. This incident has sent fans into a frenzy. 

Mariners’ J.P. Crawford’s ejection sparked a frenzy among the fans

It’s been a dominating season for the Mariners, but after their loss to the Nationals, the entire spotlight has shifted to Crawford, who was ejected after arguing a controversial call. As the clip of Crawford’s verbal exchange with the umpire went viral, the post was filled with heated reactions.

One fan praised Crawford’s stance and supported him: “Well deserved for that shit call. Also, if you’re getting tossed, might as well let it all out.” Crawford vented his frustration at the umpire for a call that could have changed the game’s outcome. But this wasn’t the first time; Andy Fletcher has made incorrect calls before. If you remember a game between the Yankees and the Brewers in early 2024, Fletcher missed a call involving Aaron Judge and Willy Adames. Judge’s hand made contact with the ball while sliding into second, but the play was called an incidental contact and not a double play.

Crawford’s reaction is understandable, and many supported him. However, questions remain. “Calls like this are exactly why the challenge system from spring training should’ve been adopted for the regular season and the playoffs, too,” a fan commented. The ABS system, implemented at the spring training, allows players to challenge calls, but has not yet been adopted in the regular season or playoffs. Given this latest incident, isn’t it time for the ABS system to be used?

Further criticism followed: “The fact this nonsense still happens in 2025 is the biggest joke ever. Literally the whole entire world can see it’s a ball but since this old man who thinks he’s never wrong says it’s a strike, then we must accept what he says? What a joke MLB is; this should have been changed decades ago.” The fan has a point. If everyone can see the ball was outside the strike zone, how could Fletcher call it a strike? The blame falls on MLB for not improving umpiring standards or implementing a challenge system.

Another comment read, “Umpires are hot dog****.”  While not every umpire makes such mistakes, umpiring has been notably poor this season. Remember the wrong call made by John Bacon during the game between the Orioles and Blue Jays, all against the Orioles. Manager Brandon Hyde was ejected after protesting. Shouldn’t there be repercussions for such poor performance?

The criticism continued, with another Reddit user writing, “Especially against a guy like Gore that needs no help, yeah, justified reaction.” Gore is one of the toughest pitchers to face, with a 36.2% strikeout rate and a 28% K-BB rate. He has already recorded 101 strikeouts, so being called out on a bad call against him understandably led to frustration. No wonder criticism of umpiring standards is mounting and will likely continue for some time.