No idea when the last time a MLB umpire unhesitantly admitted his mistake. None in recent times.
During the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Mets game, the umpiring peaked. Not because of absolutely perfect calls, but admitting the mistake almost immediately.
Laz Diaz, the home-plate umpire, showed utmost humility during the recent Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
As the Mets secured a 5-1 victory, the tension was high in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell at the plate, Diaz made a call that had everyone buzzing.
With the count at 1-and-1, Campbell took a slider that seemed clearly to be a ball, but Diaz called it a strike instead. Frustrated, Campbell couldn’t help but jump in the air in disbelief.
But here’s where Diaz earned some respect. Right after making the call, the hot mic caught him admitting his fumble on live.
“That’s on me, Kristian. Hey, that’s on me,” hot mic caught Diaz admitting.
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Laz Diaz immediately realized he got this call wrong
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 22, 2025
“That’s on me, Kristian. Hey, that’s on me.” pic.twitter.com/jmBMWx6wZN
It takes a lot of courage to own up to a mistake, especially when everyone is watching. For Diaz, this was a standout moment as he has had some major struggles with his calls over the years.
Laz Diaz Had A Bizarre MLB Game A Couple Of Years Ago
While Laz Diaz came clean during the Red Sox vs. Mets game, he has one of the most bizarre umpiring blunders to his name.
Back in 2023 in Chicago, the New York Yankees found themselves in a frustrating situation that really turned the tide of the game.
In the eighth inning, with the team trailing 2-1, shortstop Anthony Volpe faced a critical moment. The then home plate umpire Diaz called him out on a pitch that was a supposed strike on a 0-2 count.
Volpe’s reaction was immediate and he turned back to the umpire, visibly exasperated, and it was clear he felt the call was unfair.
Things escalated quickly when Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who was watching from the dugout, couldn’t hold back his feelings any longer.
Aaron Boone had it with Laz Diaz's strike zone tonight and gave us his best strike 3 impersonation upon getting ejected from tonight's gamehttps://t.co/7opQ5oZ9Ah
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 8, 2023
He jumped up and started arguing the call, which led to him being tossed from the game. What followed was quite a scene. Boone and Diaz went nose to nose, engaged in a lengthy shouting match.
It even included Boone drawing a line in the dirt to illustrate where he believed the pitch should have crossed the plate, along with him mimicking Diaz’s strike three call.
According to Umpire Scorecard, a fan-run site that tracks umpire performance, Diaz had a rough night. He made 17 calls on pitches that were out of the strike zone, leading to 50 called strikes when there should have only been about 33.
Diaz missed as many as 19 strike calls during the Yankees manager’s ejection game.
