Orioles Announcers Shred Infamous Umpire C.B. Bucknor After Blown Call: ‘You Kinda Wonder How Bad He’s Gonna Be’

Ahmad Austin Jr.May 1st, 2024, 4:38 pm
 

The Baltimore Orioles broadcast team took turns shredding umpire C.B. Bucknor after he blew a called strike early in Tuesday’s game against the Yankees.

In the bottom of the first inning of their A.L. East matchup, Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. threw a low pitch to leadoff hitter Gunnar Henderson. On the broadcast, it was clearly shown that the ball was well below the strike zone. Bucknor, however, called it a strike and gave Cortes the strikeout.

“There you go,” Mid-Atlantic Sports Network announcer Kevin Brown said. “C.B. Bucknor strike zone in full effect.”

“Well, you know, you kinda wonder how bad he’s gonna be,” analyst Jim Palmer said, “and he’s shown us already in the first inning. This ball’s a grounder. All you want is a guy that understands what the strike zone [is]. That’s on the ground. [He] shouldn’t be umpiring and he is; and they know it. Been around a long time. Doesn’t mean you’d– it’s kinda like pitching. When I couldn’t get people out, I became a broadcaster.”

Brown joked that by that philosophy, Bucknor would soon be a broadcaster, as well.

“So, C.B. will be joining us in the booth tomorrow,” Brown responded.

According to Umpire Scorecards — which tracks umpire performances across the league — Bucknor’s accuracy on called strikes that game was actually 97%. For reference, his average is just 88%.

Watch above via Mid-Atlantic Sports Network

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!

Tags: