The year was 2021. He was a rookie ump when the former Cubs manager David Ross was ejected after a faceoff with Erich Bacchus for his strike zone calls against the St. Louis Cardinals and asked him to “kindly do a better job.” Then it was 2023. Another ejection in a Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Former Cubs’ 1B coach and Ross were ejected by Bacchus for ball-strike call arguments. Now, we are here in 2025, and things look a little too familiar. 

This Wednesday, the last 6-3 loss of the Los Angeles Angels vs. the New York Mets series might’ve felt even bitter than the sweep. In the top of the 8th inning, the Angels were doing a decent job. Trailing by three, and with runners on first and second and two outs, Luis Rengifo was struck out by Edwin Diaz’s pitch. But he didn’t even swing the bat, plus all six pitches seemed to be outside the strike zone. There came the ugly turn…

Angels’ interim manager Ray Montgomery came out of the dugout, clearly enraged. After a heated back-and-forth, another ejection happened. SNY updated on X: “Angels manager Ray Montgomery has been ejected after this strike three call to Luis Rengifo.”

While we are not saying the Angels were going to win, still, if they had gotten this hit, it would have scored a run, maybe 2, and the scoreboard would have gotten close. Not a single called strike during that at‑bat landed inside the strike zone, provoking the outrage.

With the first strike call, even before the manager’s ejection, Angels color analyst Mike Gubicza got annoyed, too. “…that is so far off the plate,” he remarked. Just when Rengifo assumed he could load the bases with a walk, and bring the lead run to the plate after three straight balls, Bacchus called another strike for the second pitch. Again, Gubicza exclaimed, “That’s not even close.” Then came the final pitch that eventually led to Ray Montgomery’s ejection. 

This pitch was again almost at the same spot, an inch or two outside the strike zone, but Erich Bacchus called out Luis Rengifo. And that last blown call kind of ended the threat for the Mets. Angels play-by-play announcer Wayne Randazzo commented, “That’s ball… Oh, he called that a strike?! That’s ridiculous!”

Next thing we know, Montgomery gets ejected… But the drama didn’t end there! 

Angels’ offensive coordinator Tim Laker also got ejected in the bottom of the eighth inning after Bacchus called the second pitch by the Angels pitcher Jake Eder against Luis Torrens’ at-bat a ball. Laker stormed out of the dugout shouting at the top of his voice. It was probably the ‘finger’ that caused him to get pulled off the field. But crew chief Laz Diaz, as pointed out by a commentator, “cut him off” from completely entering the diamond. 

Well, none of it was an isolated incident. 

This pattern of bad calls has woven through the entire season. On July 2, Umpire Auditor shared on X, “Umpires missed 4,209 calls in June including 202 strikeouts.” For the first half of the season, almost 11.8% of pitch calls have been incorrect, meaning approximately 1 in 8 calls were wrong. You can call it real consistency in inconsistency.

Umpire Erich Bacchus has been a standout culprit there, frequently botching high‑zone strike calls. In Anaheim, he missed eight strikes in that upper zone during one single game on April 19. His season has been eerily consistent in error, with multiple high‑visibility gaffes already under scrutiny. In fact, the Mariners released a scorecard on May 22 after their game against the Houston Astros. It showed Bacchus had favored Houston with +0.14 runs. 

When asked about the calls, Montgomery told MLB.com, “[The calls] were bad… I went out and I didn’t say anything really [about the calls]. I said, ‘You have to keep them on the plate.’ Before I could tell him that [Lamonte] Wade [Jr.] was going into right field, he threw me out, which is what really got me going — aside from the obvious missed calls.”

Clearly, for the Angels, it was a game where bad calls carried more weight than big swings. And such blown high strikes by Bacchus or other umps only amplify the chorus pushing for automated umpiring reform.

ABS trials in spring training and the All‑Star Game demonstrated undeniable fairness and precision. Remember the very first inning of ASG when AL starter Tarik Skubal clipped the zone with a changeup to Manny Machado? Dan Iassogna (home plate ump) called it a ball. But catcher Cal Raleigh challenged. The ABS overturned the same, marking a historic strikeout and the system’s debut with pixel-perfect timing. 

So, if the league already has such precision, why continue trusting fallible eyesight when machine accuracy hovers near perfection, around ninety‑plus percent? It’s time for MLB to replace wild-card humans with consistent “robo‑umps” who always call it right. MLB doesn’t need another committee—it needs a conscience, and maybe a robot with better eyesight.

MLB fans are now demanding accountability for missed calls

There’s a fine line between human error and habitual incompetence—and MLB’s umpires keep tripping over it. The Los Angeles Angels didn’t just lose momentum; they lost their manager to a strike zone drawn in invisible ink. Fans saw it, analysts broke it down, and now the pitchforks are out. When Erich Bacchus made that call, he didn’t just miss—he sparked a movement louder than a grand slam in October. “It went the Mets way but these umps are horrible!” one fan expressed. 

“Might need to start the ABS Challenge system in the middle of this game,” tweeted Jon Heyman. With almost 15,900 missed strike calls in the first half of the season, he’s not joking—he’s forecasting MLB’s future. When umpires like Erich Bacchus miss entire at‑bats, fans aren’t overreacting—they’re under siege by chaos. At this point, even a coin flip might call balls and strikes better than the human crew. Another fan added, “Awful umpiring … not even close!!!”

The patience of fans has officially expired, and now they’re demanding answers, not apologies or statements. “What are you going to do about Erich Bacchus? @MLBUA @MLB” isn’t just frustration—it’s indictment. After Rengifo’s at-bat debacle, even loyalists are asking if anyone in power actually watches the games. The calls are bad, but the silence from @MLBUA and @MLB is somehow even worse.

The anger has boiled over—fans aren’t pleading anymore, they’re demanding justice without negotiation or nuance. “That’s really bad, the umps refuse to take accountability which makes it worse,” echoes louder than any stadium chant this season. After the Rengifo disaster, this isn’t about accountability—it’s about removing the problem entirely from baseball. Bacchus hasn’t just lost the zone; he’s lost the faith of the sport’s most loyal believers.

When even opposing fans call it out, you know the call wasn’t just wrong—it was embarrassing. “Well, I’m a @Mets fan, but it WAS way outside the strike zone …” says everything. This isn’t rivalry bias—it’s objective outrage, and it proves just how blatant Bacchus’s mistake was. When enemy fans take your side, the umpire hasn’t just messed up—he’s united the internet.

When missed calls unite rival fanbases and provoke gambling conspiracies, MLB can’t just shrug and move on. The pitchforks aren’t just metaphorical anymore—they’re trending, retweeted, and aimed squarely at the league office. If the strike zone keeps floating like a rumor, expect fans to keep swinging back louder than ever. Bacchus may be the headline, but he’s far from the only symptom. The real strike? MLB’s silence in the face of chaos.