The Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday, but it didn’t come without its fair share of controversy due to a missed call from umpire C.B. Bucknor.
And it was enough to have left fielder Jayson Werth lose it toward Bucknor at the end of the game.
Jayson Werth letting CB Bucknor have it after the game pic.twitter.com/sELuQix4sB
— Danny (@recordsANDradio) April 19, 2017
Werth was livid for a reason. The game appeared to be over when Braves third baseman Chase d’Arnaud swung on a pitch from Shawn Kelley and missed by about eight inches.
Bucknor, though, called the pitch a foul tip, meaning the game would continue with the bases loaded during the bottom of the ninth. Kelley eventually struck out d’Arnaud.
“foul tip” pic.twitter.com/MI5UQEXzUH
— Zach Dillard (@Zach_Dillard) April 19, 2017
Adding to Werth’s frustration was Bucknor’s loose interpretation of the strike zone.
Jayson Werth just struck out. Didn’t swing at any pitch, yet somehow the umpire called 3 of these strikes… pic.twitter.com/5njgsP143q
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) April 19, 2017
Speaking to reporters after, Werth said games are too important for those calls to be missed.
“This is my like my 14th year in the big leagues,” Werth said, via the Associated Press. “You see a lot of things, but when it’s consistently not with the standards of the league, I think something needs to be done. I just can’t believe that every time it’s bottom of the barrel. Every time. I know I’m handcuffed here. I can’t say a whole lot. I don’t want to get suspended. But these games are serious. That’s the thing. These games mean a lot. The game is over there, and all of a sudden it’s not over.
“I’m not even talking about balls and strikes or anything else. It just blows my mind that in a big league baseball game that can actually happen.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.