Ump calls a pitch right down the middle a ball, a breakdown

Aug 21, 2020 2.0M views 1:47

MLB Baltimore Orioles 2020

What Happened

In a late August 2020 game, Royals reliever Jonathan Heasley (whom Jomboy mistakenly calls 'Stalmont' throughout) fired a 100 mph fastball on a 1-2 count that split the heart of the plate against the Yankees. The home plate umpire called it a ball, then told the pitcher the pitch was high when it clearly was not. Jomboy zeroes in on the obvious miss, replays the pitch, and points out that the location was dead center middle. He spends the back half of the clip both ribbing the umpire and praising the pitcher's stuff, including a 100 mph heater paired with an 84 mph curveball.

Why This Matters

This is the pre-robot-ump era frustration that fueled years of debate about an automated strike zone. A pitch that splits the middle is the easiest call in the sport, and missing it on a two-strike count costs the pitcher a strikeout he earned. The 2020 season was shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic, so every blown call carried extra weight in a sprint of a schedule. Jomboy's confusion about the pitcher's name is part of the fun here, since the young Royals arm was an unknown at the time. The clip also doubles as a scouting highlight: a 100 mph fastball backed by an 84 mph curve is a legitimate big-league weapon, and the velocity gap is exactly what makes hitters look silly. Calls like this are why MLB kept pushing ABS testing in the minors.

With 2.0 million views, this clip ranks 104th out of 1,583 Jomboy breakdowns, putting it in the top 6.6% of the entire catalog.

Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Jonathan Heasley, Aaron Judge. Teams: Orioles.

Jonathan Heasley Aaron Judge

Key Terms Mentioned

Manager Ejection Replay Review Umpire Controversy

late night friday breakdown on my couch

saw this highlight

had to go check out what happened had to

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stomat for the royals don't know who you