Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes appeared to draw the ire of home-plate umpire Doug Eddings during his club's 5-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.
Facing Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and a 2-and-2 count, Skenes reared back and delivered a 99-MPH fastball just off the black. Skenes, who figured the pitch would be called a strike, began to walk off the mound toward the dugout, thinking he had recorded an inning-ending strikeout.
But Eddings, who thought the pitch missed the plate, called it a ball, saying, "That's outside!"
Skenes chuckled as he received the ball back from catcher Yasmani Grandal, but Eddings, who seemed to take offense to Skenes's assumption of the strikeout, didn't think anything was funny.
"He started to walk off the mound like he thinks it's a strike...you talk to him then," Eddings yelled at Pirates manager Derek Shelton.
"I'm talking to you," Shelton responded.
Doug Eddings getting mad at Paul Skenes for walking off like it was a strikeout.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 4, 2024
Skenes looks like a kid who just got in trouble in class. 🤣
"He started to walk off the mound like he thinks it's a strike...you talk to him then." pic.twitter.com/itpYZGyxsk
MLB fans were not impressed with how Eddings handled the situation.
Good old fashioned ump show.
— Eric (@EB21122) September 4, 2024
They think we’re there to see them.
Why does the ump care how he walks off the mound. Put the fries in the bag bro
— Raffy Big Scoops (@NotRafaelDevers) September 4, 2024
Let’s stop giving umpires their moments
— Kentown (@TheSharpBros) September 4, 2024
One fan did come to Eddings's defense.
To all those saying ump show…it was a ball😂
— Friar Breaks (@FriarBreaks) September 4, 2024
To be completely fair, the pitch did seem to be a ball—and Skenes should probably wait for the call from the umpire before walking off the mound. But he didn't show up Eddings with any overly dramatic gestures or protestations, which made the umpire's reaction a bit puzzling.
The odd interaction didn't affect Skenes much, though. The Pirates rookie eventually loaded the bases in the inning, but worked out of trouble en route to earning the victory after five shutout innings with six strikeouts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Ump Ripped for Childish Move After Paul Skenes Thought He Threw a Strike.
