Fans of the Atlanta Braves could not believe the call home plate umpire Ron Kulpa made striking out Freddie Freeman in Game 2 of the World Series.
It’s the World Series, so every single pitch matters.
Unfortunately for Braves fans, that means home plate umpire Ron Kulpa matters a lot too.
Take, for instance, the strike call that put Freddie Freeman out in the first inning.
how the hell does Ron Kulpa get to umpire a World Series game? 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/pbQFa6QkuD
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) October 28, 2021
That definitely didn’t look like a strike in real time. And it didn’t get any better on the pitch chart.
"Strikeouts" pic.twitter.com/kxyLx2ztNL
— The Bearded Travis (@dude8001) October 28, 2021
Braves fans couldn’t believe Ron Kulpa’s terrible strike calls
Fans were irate over the call, as you might expect.
Ron Kulpa trending before the 1st inning is over. this cannot be good.
— Ryan Foster (@ryan05foster) October 28, 2021
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
— DaddyDimmuTV (@DaddyDimmuTv) October 28, 2021
6 balls were thrown yet Freeman strikes out. Unbelievable
Let’s take another look at that strike three call in Freddie Freeman’s at bat. #BattleATL
— Mark Arum (@MarkArum) October 28, 2021
pic.twitter.com/4SiitaA6p5
I swear it looks like he's calling strikes before they even hit the glove.#RonKulpa #WorldSeries
— Crazy Goat (@jbay3r) October 28, 2021
No need for a trash can when you have Ron Kulpa behind the plate. #WorldSeries
— Griffin Hill (@ghilltide) October 28, 2021
Should be tied but Ron Kulpa has the IQ of a lasagna
— Dañiel Simpson (@DSimpson88) October 28, 2021
I cannot stress this enough, Ron Kulpa is THE WORST umpire in baseball. He’s worse than Angel, he’s worse than Joe West. And it’s not particularly close. Plus he’s an asshole and will make the game about him pic.twitter.com/ct3RUzdVsN
— Connor Watrous (@ConnorWatrous) October 28, 2021
Some could have told you this was coming. Kulpa does not have a great track record behind the plate.
79 umpires worked the plate in 20+ MLB games this year. Ron Kulpa's balls and strikes accuracy was the worst.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 25, 2021
He's a member of this year's World Series crew. 😬
Also present:
Ted Barrett - 12th worst
Tom Hallion - 14th worst
Ángel Hernández was 13th worst.@PitchingNinja 🤖
Out of the 74 full-time umpires graded by @umpscores, Ron Kulpa ranked 71st in ball-strike calling accuracy this season. He's behind the plate in Game 2 of the World Series. MLB doesn't put its best umpires behind the plate in its most important games. https://t.co/qYopdmWssq pic.twitter.com/IZxYMyU9ui
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) October 28, 2021
And don’t expect it to get better any time soon.
If you don’t watch much baseball you should know Ron Kulpa is the worst umpire in baseball. Called Freddie Freeman out on 2 pitches out the zone and first pitch to Austin Riley too high yet called a strike.
— 倅ofAzuma (@BreakBreadDaily) October 28, 2021
@RobotUmpsNow
Great job @MLBUA, proud of your guy I know #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/tlEgW9TIbM
Freeman could have easily ended up on base there. If he had, the Braves might have produced a run as Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley went on to single as the next two batters. It’s impossible to know how it would have changed the game.
Bad calls happen all the time. All fans want is to see games play out as fairly as possible. That would be easier if MLB didn’t put questionable umpires on duty for the biggest games of the season.