Baseball fans want veteran umpire Laz Diaz gone after an egregious blown call in a Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays game.
There are bad calls, and then there are terrible calls.
Umpire Ángel Hernández retired early in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, but for many fans, he remains an unfortunate benchmark for bad calls.
Hernández, however, no longer has to hear negative comments from players, managers, or fans. We may have a new umpire that will take his place. His name came up this week following the Rays’ 5-1 win over the Rangers on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jake Mangum got rung up on a pitch that was more than half a foot off the plate on Tuesday.
Those watching Tuesday’s Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays game saw Laz Diaz call a third strike on Rays left fielder Jake Magnum. Anyone watching likely immediately noticed the ball was well outside the strike zone.
Diaz was behind the plate for the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers game, and Tyler Mahle was pitching to Jake Mangum with a 1-2 count. Mahle missed outside, but he got the most favorable cal ever.
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He punched out Mangum, and everyone was shocked.
** NEW UMPIRE AUDITOR RECORD **
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) June 5, 2025
Yesterday, Umpire Laz Diaz rang up Jake Magnum on a pitch that missed outside by 6.83 inches.
With that call, Laz Diaz has taken the crown from Angel Hernandez for the worst called strikeout in Umpire Auditor history. https://t.co/2LvDoJaLio pic.twitter.com/dSTZ2r22pz
Umpire Auditor Revealed How Bad Laz Diaz’s Call Was
Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle struck out Jake Magnum on a pitch that was so far outside that even Texas’ announcers had to joke about it.
Staring down the threat of a rain out in Tampa, veteran umpire Laz Diaz wasn’t about to let Tuesday night’s game drag on when he made that egregious call.
According to Umpire Auditor, Mahle’s pitch missed outside by 6.83 inches. That is good for the worst called strikeout since the watchdog account started tracking umpires’ performances in 2014.
The previous record belonged to Angel Hernandez.
Also Read: Hot Mic Catches MLB Umpire In Awkward Moment Admitting Blown Call During Red Sox vs. Mets Showdown
