Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy strikes out Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Fans of the Atlanta Braves could not believe the call home plate umpire Ron Kulpa made striking out Freddie Freeman in Game 2 of the World Series.
It’s the World Series, so every single pitch matters.
Unfortunately for Braves fans, that means home plate umpire Ron Kulpa matters a lot too.
Take, for instance, the strike call that put Freddie Freeman out in the first inning.
That definitely didn’t look like a strike in real time. And it didn’t get any better on the pitch chart.
Braves fans couldn’t believe Ron Kulpa’s terrible strike calls
Fans were irate over the call, as you might expect.
Some could have told you this was coming. Kulpa does not have a great track record behind the plate.
And don’t expect it to get better any time soon.
Freeman could have easily ended up on base there. If he had, the Braves might have produced a run as Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley went on to single as the next two batters. It’s impossible to know how it would have changed the game.
Bad calls happen all the time. All fans want is to see games play out as fairly as possible. That would be easier if MLB didn’t put questionable umpires on duty for the biggest games of the season.