The 11 Worst Umpire Screw-Ups in Baseball History

Bad calls happen.

They're a part of every sport, every game, and every day fans of some team out there are complaining about a bad call that altered a game that their team inevitably lost. 

It's not the team's fault, it's the umps, or the refs.

Some fans have even concocted ludicrous conspiracy theories among officials, that work in either the favor of a hated rival or to the detriment of one's favorite team. 

Bad calls do happen, but they usually even out over the course of most seasons or, even, games.

However, there are some exceptions.

Some calls over the years were so egregiously bad that they linger on—etched in the memories of the fans, whose teams were victimized by the errant call.

Baseball, with its long history and 162-game regular season, allows for more opportunities for missed calls than any other major sport. 

A truly bad call isn't just bad because it's an obvious wrong call.

The truly bad ones have a definitive impact on the outcome of the game. When umpires miss a call and in the process, change the outcome of a game or, even worse, a whole season—that's when they become one of the worst.

AJ Pierzynski's Phantom Strikeout.

In Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS between the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago White Sox, with the series tied 1-1, AJ Pierzynski swung at an apparent strike three.

Yet home plate umpire Doug Eddings didn't call "Out!"

Pierzynski trotted down to first base after initially appearing to concede the out. He was then called safe. 

The umpire had been under the very-mistaken impression that Angel's catcher Josh Paul had dropped the ball, so that a throw to first would have been required to get Pierzynski out.

Pierzynski would be lifted for a pinch runner who would come around to score the eventual game winning run. 

Yes, it only made the best-of-seven series a 2-1 advantage for Chicago, but they would go on to win the ALCS, and eventually the World Series.

That's a fairly big mistake in a fairly big spot. 

The Pine Tar Incident

This incident is noteworthy for the complete meltdown by George Brett just as much as the actual call itself.

On July 24, 1983, the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees played in the Bronx. The Royals were down 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning. Goose Gossage, the All-Star closer, was on the mound for the Yankees, with two outs and one on.

George Brett, who, at the time, was arguably playing the best baseball of his Hall of Fame career, stepped to the plate and promptly hit a go-ahead two-run homer into the right field stands.

Brett and the Royals thought they'd be heading to the bottom of the ninth up 5-4. But Yankee Manager Billy Martin had other plans. He claimed that the pine tar on Brett's bat extended beyond the 18-inch limit.

Home plate umpire Tim McClelland inspected the bat and found that, indeed, the pine tar extended beyond the regulation of 18 inches up from the base of the knob. 

It's what happened next that made the call infamous. Rather than applying the proper consequence, which stated that the bat must be removed from play, McClelland called Brett out and disallowed the home run. Brett, as seen in the clip above, went absolutely ballistic.

In the end, the game was played under protest. The Royals won the protest, and about a month later, the game is replayed from the top of the ninth, with the Royals winning 5-4.

2007 Rockies-Padres: Game 163

Nothing controversial here, except that a blown call ended one team's season. 

In 2007, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres battled all season long to finish tied atop the NL wild-card standings.

A one-game playoff was to be played to determine which team would advance to the NLDS as the wild-card team.

The game went into extra innings, and in the top of the 13th, the Padres took an 8-6 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Rockies star Matt Holliday hit a two-run triple to tie the game 8-8. There were still no outs, and with the winning run on third, the Padres elected to intentionally walk Todd Helton and pitch instead to the weaker-hitting Jamey Carroll.

Carroll hit a line drive to right that was fielded cleanly by Brian Giles. Holliday tagged at third and attempted to score on the sacrifice. The throw from Giles was on the money and fielded cleanly by catcher Michael Barrett, who appeared to tag Holliday out.

Umpire Tim McClelland saw it differently and called Holliday safe, in spite of the fact that replays seemed to show that Holliday never touched home plate. 

That didn't matter though. Holliday scored, the Rockies won, and they would eventually advance all the way to the 2007 World Series.

Missing a call of this magnitude is pretty major. It didn't just impact the Padres. One could say that it hypothetically impacted the entire postseason.  

Ron Gant Gets Pushed off and Called Out

The 1991 World Series was one of baseball's greatest Fall Classics. 

It did have one, very unfortunate bad call, though, in Game 2.

In the third inning, Ron Gant led off for the Atlanta Braves with a single to left field. Gant, being somewhat speedy, took a wide turn toward second base.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani, who had already received the ball back from the left fielder, fired a heads-up throw back to first.

Gant retreated to the bag in time to be called safe, except that Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek—a man of considerable size at 6-4 and over 200 pounds—took advantage of the smaller Gant, and used Gant's lack of balance in returning to first to push him off the bag and apply a tag

First base umpire Drew Coble saw this play unfold under the assumption that Gant's momentum had caused him to fall off the bag, and ruled him out.

The Braves would go on to lose the game, 3-2, and they eventually lost the Series in seven games. Would Gant on the basepaths have made a difference in the Series? It might have, but we'll never know.  

Don Denkinger in the 1985 World Series

They still haven't forgotten in St. Louis. 

The 1985 World Series was a matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. The Series had classic ebbs and flows, with each team gaining momentum, only to have the opponent reclaim it. 

Eventually, the Series would go to a winner-take-all Game 7.

Getting to that game required a dramatic Game 6 walk-off win by the Royals. To get the game-winning home run, someone had to get on base in the bottom of the ninth. And, to get that "someone" on base, Don Denkinger blew a critical call, which resulted in Jorge Orta reaching first to lead off the bottom of the ninth. 

Orta didn't actually score the game winning run. He was called out as a result of a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt.

However, Orta's leadoff single set the stage for the eventual winning run to come around.

The problem, of course, is that Orta's single wasn't a single at all. It was actually a groundout, which should have been scored 3-1 ( first baseman to pitcher). 

Orta hit a ground ball, fielded by Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark. Clark threw the ball to pitcher Todd Worrell, who appeared to make a simple and clean play.

But the first base umpire somehow called Orta safe.

In spite of every available replay showing Orta to be out, and a lengthy argument by Cardinals' manager Whitey Herzog, Orta remained safe at first. 

The Royals would go on to win, not just the Game 6 nail-biter, but an 11-0 Game 7 blowout as well, and with that, the 1985 World Series title. 

Jeffery Maier

On October 9, 1996, the Yankees were not yet the dynasty that they would go on to become in the coming weeks and years. 

The Yankees were just a good team competing with a very good Baltimore Orioles team for a trip to the 1996 World Series.

And in Game 1 of the ALCS, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier thrust himself into what would become one of baseball's most controversial calls.

With the Yankees trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Derek Jeter led off. He hit an opposite-field fly ball to right, which appeared to be losing momentum as Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco settled under it to make a catch.

Instead, the outstretched hand of Jeffery Maier reached over the right field fence from the first row of the stands, and snagged the ball before Tarasco could make a play.

Umpire Rich Garcia called the ball a home run, and in spite of vehement arguments by Tarasco and Orioles manager Davey Johnson, the call stood. 

The Yankees would eventually win Game 1 on an 11th-inning walk-off home run by Bernie Williams. They would eventually win the series in five games, and then go on to become the 1996 World Series champs by besting the Braves in six. 

Maier's overt interference would force the Yankees to install railings along the top of the right field fences, but that move came too little, too late for Orioles fans. 

Armando Galarraga's (Im-)Perfect Game

In the 135-year history of Major League Baseball, there have been 20 perfect games. The count should be at 21, though. 

That's because on June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga took a perfect game into the ninth inning with two outs. 

Then, disaster struck.

Indians second baseman Jason Donald hit a routine ground ball that, by all accounts, appeared to be fielded cleanly by first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who flipped the ball to the pitcher for the final out of a perfect game.

Nope.

Instead umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe, and Galarraga would have to settle for a very nice 3-0 one-hit shutout win. 

Joyce, upon seeing clear replay evidence after the game that he had blown the call, was extremely apologetic and openly acknowledged the mistake.

Galarraga was equally classy in accepting the apology, and acknowledging that human beings make honest mistakes sometimes. 

A terrible call, for sure, but not one that dramatically impacted the results of the game. 

Larry Barnett's Non-Call in the 1975 World Series

Was this a bad call, or just a call that most Red Sox fans wished would have gone the other way? 

At the time, it seemed to be an atrocious call, but over the course of time the momentum has shifted, to the point where there are many people who would take Larry Barnett's side in this one. 

Nonetheless, it was a tough call. 

The 1975 World Series will forever be remembered for the Game 6 heroics of Carlton Fisk.

The image of Fisk half-running and half-leaping down the first base line, while trying to will his deep fly to stay fair down the left-field line, and provide a walk-off victory, has been replayed and recounted in movies and TV shows countless times. 

It's almost enough to make one think that the Red Sox won the World Series. Of course, they didn't: they lost in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds of "Big Red Machine" lore. 

Game 3 would provide a different type of drama than what fans witnessed in Game 6. 

With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th, Cesar Geronimo led off with a single. Up stepped Ed Armbrister to pinch hit for pitcher Rawly Eastwick.

Armbrister dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and as Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk leapt up to field it, he collided with Armbrister. The collision caused Fisk to make an errant throw, and the errant throw allowed Geronimo to advance all the way to third base and Armbrister safely to second.

After an intentional walk to Pete Rose and a strikeout, Joe Morgan stepped up with the bases loaded and one out, and smacked a single to center field, plating Geronimo, and giving the Reds a Game 3 walk-off win.

The outrage over the lack of an interference call on Armbrister was brisk and intense.

Curt Gowdy, a former Red Sox play-by-play announcer, was calling the game for NBC Sports, and was highly critical of Barnett's lack of an interference call.

Nonetheless, Major League Baseball and the umpires made a point of backing Barnett's call.

Over 36 years and two World Series titles later, some Red Sox fans have probably forgiven and forgotten, but some undoubtedly have not.  

2009 ALCS Game 4: Two Tags, Only One Out

"That's an easy call!" said Tim MacCarver from the FOX broadcast booth, while watching replays of the play at third on October 20, 2009.

What makes this call so bad is that it's not one of those gray areas. There's no distance, no close play, no logical reason for the mishap, except for incompetence. 

The Yankees were already winning Game 4 of the ALCS, 5-0 in the fifth inning against Los Angeles. They had Jorge Posada on third and Robinson Cano on second base with one out. Nick Swisher faced Darren Oliver, and Swisher grounded the ball right back to the pitcher. 

Oliver threw the ball to catcher Mike Napoli, who got Jorge Posada caught in a rundown between third base and home.

Posada ran back to third, only to find Robinson Cano waiting for him. Cano had foolishly advanced to third, in spite of Posada being caught in a rundown. Napoli made a heads-up play and tagged out both Cano, who wasn't on third base, and Napoli, who wasn't on third base, either.

Easy play, inning over, rally over. 

Umpire Tim McClelland didn't quite see it that way.

He called Posada out and then, inexplicably, called Cano safe.

Yes, everyone argued, yes, the announcers, both on FOX and the Yankees' radio network, repeatedly said the call had been blown. No, the call wasn't reversed, and yes, the Yankees went on to win the game 10-1, and the series in six games.

No other runs were scored in that fifth inning, but the call was still inexcusable. 

2009 ALDS Game 2: Joe Mauer Robbed of a Double

In a best-of-five series, one game can tilt momentum that can't be recovered.

With that in mind, the call against Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS stands out as truly terrible. 

A tied game at Yankee Stadium, 3-3 in the 11th inning, and the Twins were in a hole, down 0-1 to the Yankees. 

Joe Mauer, who would win the AL MVP that year, was to lead off the inning. Mauer, known more for his all-around hitting prowess than his power, displayed just that by lacing a leadoff double down the third base line. 

The ball was misplayed by left fielder Melky Cabrera and bounced out of play for a ground rule double.

But third base umpire Phil Cuzzi, who had a clear view of the play, ruled the ball foul.

Mauer would end up getting a single later in the at-bat. The next two batters also got singles. That would load the bases, but Yankee reliever David Robertson worked out of the jam without allowing a run.

The Yankees would go on to win the game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning. 

Would Mauer have scored if a double had properly been awarded? It's tough to say, since Mauer's presence on second base would have probably resulted in a different set of pitches being thrown to the next batter, Jason Kubel.

It was still a bad call. It didn't officially cost the Twins the game, but it sure made their path to victory more difficult—too difficult for them to navigate. 

1999 ALCS Game 4: The Phantom Tag

The final score of Game 4 of the 1999 ALCS was 9-2 Yankees. So one call couldn't have made that big a difference, could it? 

Think again.

The Yankees were winning 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth with one out. Jose Offerman laced a single to right field, and up stepped Jon Valentin.

Valentin hit a ground ball to second baseman Chuck Knoblaugh, who tagged Offerman in the basepath and then relayed to first for the inning-ending double play. 

In MLB history up to then, there had probably been a number of "phantom tags", where the second baseman never made glove to baserunner contact, and the out call was made. 

There probably weren't too many where the amount of space between the two players was as vast as it was in this case.

There probably weren't too many where there were tons of instant replays available, either.

And there definitely weren't many made in a close Game 4 of a best-of-seven series between baseball's oldest rivals. 

The 3-2 lead extended to 9-2 on another controversial call in the top of the ninth.

The Boston fans eliminated any sort of public sympathy by showering the field in trash and causing the game to be delayed.

Manager Jimy Williams was ejected.

It was an ugly scene. There's no excuse for fan behavior like that, but there's also no excuse for an awful call like that.

In a perfect world, both would be avoided.