Ump Show: Laz Diaz robbing Rays is officially baseball’s worst strike call ever

MLB fans all remember one call by an umpire that stood out as both egregious and baffling. In some instances, it may have taken place early on in the game. In others, they were crucial calls late that ultimately decided the game.

On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Rays fans experienced what may have been the worst strike call ever, or at least, in recent memory.

In the fourth inning of the Rays' game against the Texas Rangers, outfielder Jake Mangum faced a 1-2 count against pitcher Tyler Mahle. The pitch was well outside of the strike zone, but home plate umpire Laz Diaz called it a strike three. Take a look for yourselves to see how far outside of the strike zone it was.

The call by Diaz was a confusing one, and it may go down as one of the worst strike calls ever.

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Laz Diaz's strike call on Rays' Jake Mangum is worst in Umpire Auditor history

Umpire Auditor, a Twitter account that keeps track of the worst calls by MLB umpires, chimed in on the call from Tuesday's game between the Rays and Rangers. In regards to their own history, Diaz's strike three call on Mangum is officially the worst called strikeout by Umpire Auditor, as the pitched missed the strike zone by 6.83 inches.

The previous record held by Umpire Auditor was back in 2024, where Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford was called out on a pitch that was 6.78 inches outside the strike zone in a game against the Houston Astros. That call was made by Angel Hernandez, who had caught the ire of MLB players, managers, and fans for years over his baffling and controversial calls.

Hernandez retired as an MLB umpire shortly after that 2024 game, ultimately to much fanfare. Since then, there has been debate as who would take the mantle as the most criticized umpire in MLB. Diaz's name is a popular one in that debate, as he has made some controversial calls.

One example is back in April, where he said Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill checked his swing when he didn't in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Torey Lovullo, the manager of the Diamondbacks, was beside himself over the call, and ultimately got ejected by Diaz after arguing it.

Luckily for the Rays, the call wasn't a costly one, as they went on to win that June 3 game 5-1.

For baseball viewers who aren't fans of Diaz as an umpire, they will certainly remember this call on Tuesday on Mangum and use it as evidence.