Baseball fans want Major League Baseball to fire home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor ASAP after an alarming number of missed balls and strike calls during the Toronto Blue Jays-Cleveland Guardians game on Friday night.
The popular @UmpireAuditor X/Twitter account tracks the performance of home plate umpires, using the digital strike zone box shown on television. According to Umpire Auditor, C.B. Bucknor missed 11 calls over the first four innings.
And to make matters more controversial, nine of those calls went against the Blue Jays. It got so bad that Toronto pitcher Max Scherzer (on the injured list with thumb inflammation) mocked Bucknor by pretending to flip a coin:
Max Scherzer was mocking home plate umpire CB Bucknor, suggesting that he was flipping a coin to make his calls
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 3, 2025
(via @Sportsnet) pic.twitter.com/tkp1D2neDj
Umpire Auditor compiled a video of C.B. Bucknor’s awful series of missed calls:
Umpire CB Bucknor missed 11 calls in the first 4 innings and 9 went against the Blue Jays.
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) May 3, 2025
In response, Max Scherzer gave his best CB Bucknor impression. pic.twitter.com/TKEnhXkocy
Predictably, Bucknor’s performance behind home plate led to plenty of angry reactions from MLB fans who want him fired
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“why do you put up with this. Very bad for the integrity of the game,” a fan wrote.
@MLBUA this is beyond embarrassing. @MLB why do you put up with this. Very bad for the integrity of the game.
— Robert Ross F1 BTC (@BobVR) May 3, 2025
“CB Bucknor deserves to be no where near the major leagues,” said another.
CB Bucknor deserves to be no where near the major leagues pic.twitter.com/jSWVH27Xxj
— Ernie Clement Enjoyer (@Hockey_Is_All) May 2, 2025
“Death, taxes, and ex-Nats hating C.B. Bucknor,” said a fan.
Death, taxes, and ex-Nats hating C.B. Bucknor. https://t.co/5xU0xgynFd
— Garrett Keogh (@garrett_keogh01) May 3, 2025
“CB Bucknor needs to get the same MLB deal Ángel Hernández got,…. fired with a parting bonus,” said a user.
CB Bucknor needs to get the same MLB deal Ángel Hernández got,…. fired with a parting bonus.
— Tony 𝕏 (@tonyc920) May 3, 2025
“Investigate him,” wrote another.
Investigate him
— John Columbus (@cooljerdoc) May 3, 2025
“Are they ever held accountable for being awful at their jobs? I understand they have a Union but still,” a fan quipped.
Are they ever held accountable for being awful at their jobs? I understand they have a Union but still.
— Dallas Cowboys (@TheBoysForever) May 3, 2025
Since they’re part of a union, MLB umpires realistically can’t be fired based solely on their game-to-game performances. Pat Hoberg was fired in February for violating MLB’s gambling policy, a far more sinister offense than botching balls and strike calls.
The Blue Jays went on to win 5-3 in the series opener, meaning C.B. Bucknor got to avoid further scrutiny. Still, his performance on Friday night is just another easy case for MLB to introduce automated strike zones.
C.B. Bucknor Has Been An MLB Umpire Since 1996
The 62-year-old Bucknor joined Major League Baseball as an umpire in 1996, starting in the National League for four seasons. Bucknor has worked two MLB All-Star games, five Division Series and two Wild Card Games/Series.
Also Read: MLB Umpire Caught On Hot Mic Swearing Up A Storm After Blowing Easy Call
