Getting called up to the majors doesn’t always go perfectly. That much is true for both players and umpires.
Lew Williams was called up from Triple A recently and found himself making national headlines for all the wrong reasons Tuesday while he was working the first game of a doubleheader between the Phillies and Nationals. Williams had three of his calls at first base overturned during the NL East rivalry tilt and two of them came on back-to-back pitches.
The first mistake came in the second inning when Washington’s Ildemaro Vargas was called out at first on a bad throw by Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. Replay showed Bryce Harper’s foot was off the bag and Vargas was ruled safe. But things got uglier from there.
Part 2: Trevor Williams throws over to first base. Williams again rules Castellanos out. The Phillies again challenge.
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 8, 2023
Not quite as bad as the previous play. But this, too, was overturned.
Unsurprisingly, the Philadelphia fans were not happy with the umpire. pic.twitter.com/n4wE4VsbHp
The second gaffe came in the bottom of the third frame when Philadelphia right fielder Nick Castellanos hit a ball toward Vargas. He had to make the throw from his knees and Castellanos clearly beat the throw, but Williams called him out. The Phillies challenged the play and won.
Immediately afterward, Williams called Castellanos out on starter Trevor Williams’ pickoff attempt. Again, the Phillies challenged the call and were successful for a third time.
Philadelphia fans let Williams have it throughout the afternoon and will surely not let him forget his mistakes anytime soon.
