Mariners vs. Red Sox: M’s prevail despite bad umpiring

One of the most frustrating things in last night’s game in Fenway Park wasn’t about Mariners players, it was actually about the home plate umpire, Bill Miller. I am not one to completely trash on umpires especially since I used to play catcher, but yesterday’s strike calling was horrendous for both sides.

There were several calls where it made you want to throw the remote at the TV, but in the end, the Mariners were able to prevail and take game one of the series.

Bill Miller rings up Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis

In the top of the fifth inning, Kyle Lewis was behind in a 2-2 count against Nick Pivetta, who hadn’t allowed a hit yet up to that point. With the 2-2 pitch, the Red Sox starter threw a fastball on the outside part of the plate and it wasn’t even close.

It looks bad in the picture above, but it looked even worse on TV. Kyle was clearly dissatisfied and knew that the ball wasn’t even close, but he walked away without saying a word. Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers also expressed their distaste on the broadcast which I enjoyed.

Ty France also gets screwed, but he was able to win the battle

Similar to Kyle Lewis, France had a pitch almost in the other batter’s box called for a strike. The terrible call was luckily on a 2-1 pitch so Ty France remained in the batter’s box. After he fouled off a 2-2 fastball, France smacked a slider over the left fielder to tie the game.

To be fair, Bill Miller was bad for both the Mariners and Red Sox

Although the two calls against Kyle Lewis and Ty France were eye-catching, there were a few calls that the Mariners got in their favor. In the third inning, Nick Pivetta threw what looked like the third strike of the at-bat but it was called a ball. It even attracted the attention of FanSided MLB and became an article.

In the end, the Mariners were able to break up Pivetta’s no-hitter and score enough runs to win the game despite Miller’s terrible strike zone.