Laz Diaz is known as one of the worst umpires in the majors. He took his incompetence to another level against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
Diaz had one of his typically awful games to start. His strike zone was nebulous as always, leaving opposing hitters to question what a strike actually was. And then Cardinals’ hitting coach Turner Ward was ejected, setting Diaz off as he did not give St. Louis any close calls for the rest of the game.
St. Louis Cardinals have bone to pick with Laz Diaz
Diaz’s issues with the strike zone, and the Cardinals, were clear. His umpire scorecard showed a zone that was almost as wide as Bartolo Colon. Essentially, if it was in the same zip code, it was being called a strike. His calls were also decidedly in the Braves’ favour, as they were worth +0.99 runs for Atlanta.
The umpires are human. They are going to make mistakes as no one is perfect. Attempting to call balls and strikes with pitches moving the way they do is a difficult task. The human element can be a great part of the game as long as it is applied evenly. That could be called into question given how Diaz called the game once Ward was ejected.
In the end, nothing is going to happen. Diaz will continue to be on the diamond, making questionable calls and frustrating everyone. While it is not ideal, it is at least fair for everyone. At least, that was the case until Ward was thrown out of the game on Thursday. Then potential bias had to be called into question due to Diaz’s actions.
Laz Diaz struggled with the strike zone on Thursday. However, every close call went against the St. Louis Cardinals when Turner Ward was ejected.
Why do we never hear anything from MLB on these issues. They are ruining the integrity of the game.
Agreed. It’s a major problem and there should be a lot more transparency as to how the umpires are handled.