Shane Bieber thought the umpire’s strike zone was too small, a breakdown

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber takes the mound in the bottom of the inning, trying to finish four strong innings. He faces off against the Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, the talented young outfielder. Bieber takes a deep breath, trying to clear his mind and focus on getting the final out. The first pitch is a well-executed breaking ball that Rodríguez swings over. Bieber tries to go a little more off the zone with the next pitch, but it misses. He then tries to go back to the same pitch that had success, but it's ruled a ball, making the count 2-1. Bieber is clearly frustrated with the umpire's strike zone, believing the low pitch he just threw was a strike. He turns to the umpire and says, "Where was that? It's down. It's not down. It's definitely on the plate. Come on. It's a strike." The umpire stands firm, and the count goes to 3-1. Guardians manager Terry Francona starts to get nervous, thinking he may need to make a pitching change before Bieber gets into further trouble. Bieber knows this could be his last batter, so he decides to challenge Rodríguez up in the zone. The 3-1 pitch is high, and Bieber exclaims, "I thought I would get up if I'm not getting down." Francona decides it's time to make the change, and he comes to the mound to take the ball from Bieber. As Bieber walks off the field, he turns to the umpire and says, "Got to pick one. Go up or down. Come on. If you're not giving me the low strike, give me the high strike." It's a frustrating outing for Bieber, who felt he was not getting the calls he deserved from the umpire. The Guardians will have to turn to their bullpen to try and close out this close game against the surging Mariners.