San Diego Padres Announcer Goes OFF After Blown Call Ends the Game: ‘You Gotta Be Shaving Me!’
San Diego Padres analyst Mark Grant couldn’t hold back his frustration after the team lost Thursday night on a called strike that was way off the plate.
Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth was in the batter’s box with a man on second base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. On a 2-2 count, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald through a high and outside pitch that was caught a few inches outside the strike zone. Although Cronenworth laid off the pitch, it was called a strike and he went down looking to end the game.
“Brutal! Horrible!” Grant said. “Took the bat right outta the kid’s hands! Wasn’t even close!
You gotta be shaving me!”
Padres manager Mike Shildt immediately ran out of the dugout to give the umpire an earful. After the game, he said the call was “just not acceptable.”
“I respect the umpire profession highly and I don’t complain a lot,” Shildt said, “but I got guys busting their asses all night. I got a guy with a little mild strain with his hip flexor who shows up and is willing to take an at-bat [and] try to win us a ballgame. Got guys playing their asses off all over the field, competing their tails off. [Cronenworth’s] in a dogfight there at the end against their closer.
“You can’t end a game with a ball six inches off the plate and borderline high. That’s just not acceptable.”
