Sometimes, a night at the ballpark becomes something entirely distinctive—a bizarre spectacle where the story has less to do with hits and home runs and more with what is happening behind the plate. The fans could feel it. The broadcast booth could not ignore it. The stars? Well, one star thought to make his feelings public; not with words, but with a gesture that said it all.

This was not just frustration, instead, it was a tipping point gained momentum by continuous missed calls. By the end of it, CB Bucknor and Max Scherzer were the unexpected main characters.

What began as a routine fight quickly became a strike zone circus. Because umpire CB Bucknor missed 11 calls in just the first four innings and nine of those went against the Blue Jays. This stat was highlighted by @UmpireAuditor and it left fans and analysts stunned. The Jays’ starter, Chris Bassitt, had the impossible task of navigating a strike zone that shifted pitch by pitch. The issue crossed the mound, as stars fought to stay locked in while a flawed strike zone dictated the essence of the day.

Max Scherzer was not pitching in that game, yet, he stole the attention. In reaction to Bucknor’s mistakes, Scherzer mocked the umpire on live TV by pulling out an imaginary coin flip to say that the strike zone was pure chance. It was not just comedy, rather a commentary. The moment resonated with the Jays fans already fired up over the umpire’s decision, adding air to the enhancing fire over his three-decade-long career and continuously low rankings across MLB umpire analysis.

This was not Scherzer‘s first public outcome over wrong decisions by an umpire this season. Last month, after a Blue Jays’ review did not go their way, the star broke character to highlight his frustration. And fans can’t forget 2015, when Scherzer voiced his dissatisfaction related to a walk-off base hit, which the star claimed was affected by Bucknor’s questionable decision. The controversy did not end there. Earlier this season, Bucknor’s calls were just as problematic and he missed 15 ball-strike calls at the period of a Rockies-Athletics game in April, containing four incorrect strikeout calls. With his reputation on the line, Scherzer’s mockery looked personal. 

Fans explode over umpire meltdown

The data highlighted a grim story long before the crowd erupted. CB Bucknor’s mistake is an error rate that exceeds MLB’s average umpire miss rate of 7.8 percent. One fan, with frustration, said, “this year has been the worst. As a Mets fan, I have seen horrid calls, egregious failures. Triple play my ashtabeulah”. These fans had highlighted his frustration with the MLB because umpire Rob Drake missed 20 calls in the Astros-Mets game. The frustration is not just related to bad calls—it is related to how they derail game momentum.

Another fan targeted MLB’s employment decisions, saying, “how is this guy employed? Blows my mind how poor at his job he is”. It is a fair question after analyzing that Bucknor ranked near the bottom of umpire accuracy. In this game, his strike accuracy decreased to 92.36 percent, almost 1 percent lower than expected. In addition, he missed 1.52 more calls than expected. With automated strike zones being tested in Triple-A, fans are baffled at how he, with such continuous inaccuracies, continues to carry an MLB spot.

Frustration soon gave way to suspicion. One said, “this has to be intentional. No way someone can suck this bad”. While there is no proof of foul play, the disproportionate data of incorrect calls—9 of 11 going against the Jays—basically stirs conspiracy chatter. It is not the first time fans of a team have questioned an umpire’s neutrality. As sports betting grows in popularity, even the perception of bias fuels outrage.

The comparisons to infamous umpires were inevitable. “Ump must go. Angel Hernandez part 2”, said by another fan. It is a brutal comparison, however, one rooted in years of frustration with the names continuously topping fan polls for worst officiating. Angel Hernandez is a controversial umpire and in 2023, he missed 161 calls in 10 games. He was identified for multiple highly publicized bad calls and was a low-rated umpire in MLB.

Perhaps the most damning accusation came from a Blue Jays fan who said, “9 out of eleven missed calls went against the Jays… Did CB Bucknor make a bet on Cleveland”? While MLB has strict anti-gambling rules for authorities, the fact that such a question is being asked raises a credibility issue. In addition, the appearance of partiality damages the game’s integrity. When fans begin linking officiating errors with powerful outer effects, MLH risks losing trust at a fundamental level. However, the fan’s frustration is valid. Because, in 2025, across six games, his called strike accuracy ranged from 90.79 percent to 95.48 percent and this is an alarming 4.69 percent gap.

The outrage is not just a product of a bad night—it is a boiling-over of years of questionable decisions, enhanced by Bucknor’s inability to fulfill basic expectations. With fans asking for transformation and data backing their complaints, it is clear that the time for reliability is long overdue.