Calls Mount to Fire MLB Umpire Edwin Jimenez After Controversial Call Leaves Andrew McCutchen Speechless

Everything about the moment felt like baseball at its peak—tense, dramatic, and hanging on a single pitch. With the Pirates intently focusing late in the game, fans held their breath as catcher Henry Davis worked the count full. But instead of the walk that would have tied things up, rookie umpire Edwin Jimenez rang him up on a pitch that missed badly. Just like that, the momentum vanished.

It all unrolled on a tense Friday night at Petco Park, where the Pirates were clawing their way back into a tight game against the Padres. At the top of the eighth, the scene was set, bases loaded, two outs, and the count full. With Pittsburgh trailing 3-2, it only took one more ball to strap things up. Henry Davis dug in for the biggest pitch of the night, and when it came in low, everyone thought the job was cooked. But home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez had other plans, ringing him up on a called third strike that left the crowd astounded.

No one delivered the shock better than Andrew McCutchen. The Pirates veteran did not scream or protest. Instead, he stared down Jimenez with the kind of look that said it all. The internet noticed, and it blew up.

Enter Andrew McCutchen, who had just kept the rally alive with a double. As Davis stood chilled in disbelief, McCutchen turned and delivered that look—“Andrew McCutchen delivered his stare down to that rookie umpire,” as one fan perfectly put it. It was not loud, it was not flashy, but it said everything. That silent objection lit a thunderstorm across social media. Within minutes, supporters were calling for Jimenez’s dismissal, criticizing the rookie umpire for robbing Pittsburgh of a fair shot. It was not just a missed call, it was a moment that challenged credibility.

The fallout did not stop there. Don Kelly, only weeks into his role as manager, charged out of the dugout like a man who had had enough. With tempers blazing and no explanation offered, Kelly was swiftly poured out, his third toss since taking over. But this time it felt different. “It is just unfortunate,” he said postgame. “We have got to earn that respect.” You could hear the annoyance boiling under his calm words. And honestly? After fighting two elite relievers and coming up short because of a wrong call, who could blame him?

When moments like these play out on a national stage, fans do not just move on; they mobilize. And after Edwin Jimenez’s game-altering strike call, baseball lovers from coast to coast took to social media like it was Game 7 of the World Series. The frustration was not just from one play, it was a breaking point for a fanbase tired of seeing games swing on bad officiating. And the responses? Let’s just say they threw no punches.

The fans had seen enough

One fan dropped a mic-worthy idea that quickly gained traction: “AI-Ump — Bring it! Ok, who wants to develop the app and make a BILLION dollars?” It is no secret that MLB has been slowly dipping its toes into automated strike zones. And, this call could have just turned casual fans into full-blown technology advocates. Wrong calls are not new to such umpires. In this season only, a vital number of MLB umpires have faced backlash for making multiple missed calls, with some games having more than 20 missed calls. Specifically, on April 18th, the veteran umpire Chris Conroy missed 24 calls in a game between the Pirates and Guardians. Other umpires, containing Mike Estabrook and Ron Kulpa, have also gone through backlash for their performance. The Umpire Auditor said that umpires missed 1014 calls in one week. Edwin Jimenez is the new addition to this list. In this situation, the call for robot umps is not a futuristic fantasy anymore—it is a serious interaction being driven by fed-up fans with big ideas.

Another fan kept it simple: “That was a bad call, not close.” And truthfully? He was not wrong. Replay highlighted the pitch clearly missing low, exactly what had Pirates stars and Don Kelly losing it. That run would have proved vital for the team, as it would have tied the game up at 3-3, however, the team still trailed and would lose 3-2. This was not a borderline, ‘could go either way’ pitch.

A concerning sentiment came from a fan who said: “Now all the umpires will do the same for the Pirates!!!! They are showing some signs of improvement but now have to deal with the MLB umpire crews!!!!” This is not just criticism—it is distrust. The team is clearly not showing any better performance with 21-37, 5th in NL Central. However, it stings more to feel like the momentum is being undercut by avoidable officiating drama. A bad call is one thing—fans fearing bias is a whole new level.

Others honed in on the accountability gap. “Umpire had a bad night. But, it doesn’t matter because they don’t have repercussions for sh–ty performances.” The feeling in this situation is unfiltered. However, the point is clear. Stars face slumps, coaches get fired, however umps? They just move on to the next game. It is this lack of transparency and implication that keeps fueling the fire. Fans are not asking for perfection. They are asking for standards.

Finally, one fan brought the humor with a dagger of sarcasm: “I think that umpire’s mom had to drive him to the game because I do not think he is old enough to drive yet.”. It is the kind of roast that goes viral because it is funny and rooted in real frustration. The umpire’s status as a rookie umpire only added spark to the backlash, with multiple fans questioning whether he was ready for high-force moments like this one. In 2024, Jimenez also missed the strike-three call on Alex Verdugo, as the pitch was clearly below the strike zone and replays highlighted that it sat at just 1.39 feet, under the analyzed bottom of the zone. Despite its location over the plate, the low height made it a ball, not a strike, guiding to an incorrect call and Boone’s ejection.

Baseball is a game of inches, however, when trust in the officiating beginnings to crumble, those inches feel rigged. The Pirates lost a scope at redemption. However, the bigger loss could be MLB’s credibility if transformations are not made. Fans are fed up and if this keeps up, robot umps could be the only ones not getting booed.

`