Ump Show: Red Sox get screwed by worst strike call in mankind’s history

The Red Sox rallied to retake the lead in the fourth inning against the Nats, but the Ump Show stopped any further damage with a horrendous strike call.

After Nick Pivetta got a little wild in the bottom of the third inning against the Nationals on Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox showed that they had their starting pitcher’s back in the top of the next frame.

Alex Verdugo tied the ballgame on a sacrifice fly and then Pablo Reyes gave the Red Sox the lead right back after scoring on a wild pitch. Justin Turner was then clearly trying to keep the rally going for Boston on the road.

Turner, facing Nationals reliever Robert Garcia with none on and two outs, worked a beautiful at-bat, fighting off pitch after pitch until the count was full. Then the 10th pitch came in, a curveball that dipped about a foot off of the plate outside to the right-handed Turner.

Home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman then called it a strike, wringing up Turner and ending the inning for the Red Sox. But even if you made the strike zone two-times the size, this isn’t a strike.

Ump Show: Red Sox slugger Justin Turner wrung up on worst strike call in human history

Let’s check the Gamecast visuals just to make sure that wasn’t a strike.

Okay, so that is, indeed one of the worst strike calls — much less strike three calls — that we’re ever going to see. Even Angel Hernandez thought a family of four could’ve squeezed in between that pitch’s location and the strike zone.

Thankfully, the Red Sox had already retaken the lead and the bases were no longer juiced like they were earlier in the inning. But who knows what would’ve happened had Turner rightfully earned the walk and then brought up Rafael Devers.

Alas, we’ll never know. The Ump Show takes no prisoners.