The Houston Astros might have walked off with a win on Saturday night, but it didn’t come without chaos, controversy, and an unexpected elbow to the face.

In a dramatic 5-4 extra-innings victory over the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park, the Astros managed to snap a four-game losing streak. Zack Short’s walk-off single in the 11th sealed the deal. But for all the late-inning heroics, it was umpire Phil Cuzzi who stole the spotlight, and not in a good way.

Tensions flared during the game, particularly around Cuzzi, whose handling of a check swing sparked complete confusion and even shouting. He was heard mouthing back, “WHAT ARE YOU YELLING AT ME FOR?” towards the Astros’ dugout after he heard chirping from there.

This moment marked one of the several inconsistent calls from Cuzzi, who left many scratching their heads. And for the Houston Astros, this could have cost them their game. Then came the freak moment no one saw coming—Jose Altuve, already in the middle of a tough season, added a bizarre moment to his 2025 run.

After Diaz crushed a 410-foot homer in the fourth inning, Jose Altuve took an elbow to his nose while celebrating. Ouch! He stayed in, but it sure was one of the “crisis averted” moments. Meanwhile, Framber Valdez was dominant, and he struck out 10 over six innings without issuing a walk. Halder suffered his first blown save of the year in the ninth.

But even with the Rangers tying things late, Houston ended up holding on. Sure, it was not clean and pretty, but it’s a win. As far as the umpire’s call goes, though, Astros fans are not taking it easy.

Phil Cuzzi draws heat from Astros fans

One Houston Astros said it best: “Phil Cuzzi is a Rangers fan, confirmed.” And honestly, Phillies fans might want to borrow that line too. Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Giants had them fuming, and not just because of the score. Cuzzi ended up missing 20 calls, according to the umpire auditor, and a couple of them were brutal. The constant strikes on Bryce Harper and the three straight balls caught by Chapman. If the Phillies fall short, don’t be surprised if fans blame Cuzzi for it.

Without mincing words, a user said, “Phil Cuzzi is a horrible umpire #BuiltForThis.” Well, if Bryce Harper is calling you out, it’s hard to argue, isn’t it? After the loss to the Giants, Harper was visibly frustrated, and he told reporters that “the umpire took over the game.” But he made sure still that he was not being disrespectful, saying, “I like Phil.” He pointed out how Cuzzi’s strike zone completely shifted his at-bats. Now, Cuzzi has been doing this since 2000, but it seems like his work is not digestible to many now.

“Phil Cuzzi is officially making a name for himself. King of the rats,” one fan pointed, and it’s hard to ignore the growing chorus now. Despite his being in this since 2000, his strike zone continues to baffle the players and fans alike. According to umpire scorecards, he has called 2,600+ pitches behind the plate this season with 93.83% accuracy—just 0.59% better than expected. This puts him 63rd out of 90 umpires in 2025. And fans’ sentiment is that for someone who has been at it for so long, things should have been better.

One fan wrote, “I blame Phil Cuzzi,” and well, Astros fans are not the only ones keeping the receipts. Just last month, Cuzzi had made headlines for tossing out Tigers’ Javier Baez during a game against the Giants. Baez was just trying to talk after a missed strike three call, but Cuzzi was simply not having it. “I’m not an animal. We can talk. We can argue. Báez said afterward. But he was ejected and nearly lost it. Even A.J. Hinch admitted later that the moment had changed the inning.

“Phil Cuzzi is the new Angel Hernández,” one Houston Astros fan mentioned, and the comparison is the ultimate epitome of frustration. See, Hernandez is a veteran with over 30+ years of legacy umpiring, but blown calls were his thing. Like he missed 19 in a single game in 2022 and had four and five calls overturned in a single ALDS. Even Pedro Martinez went on record to call him horrible once.

With umpires making errors like this, it’s understandable why so many are calling for robo-umps to come in full time. People are tired and want fewer human errors ruining their games. Do you call for robo-umps, too? Let us know.