The New York Yankees pitcher took exception to the umpires’ performance in the AL Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics, and he let them have it.
CC Sabathia is a former pitcher for the New York Yankees. Sabathia was recently interviewed by ESPN and had something to say about MLB’s postseason umpiring.
The Boston Red Sox and CC Sabathia may finally be on the same page. During his podcast, the former New York Yankees pitcher let it all out by criticizing the current playoff umpiring. Fans of the Boston Red Sox have been yelling the same thing since a crucial call in Game 4 that might have flipped the series against the Houston Astros around.
This postseason, CC Sabathia didn’t hold back when it came to his views on umpiring.
On May 10, 2014, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees pitches during an Interleague game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. | Getty Images/Mike McGinnis
Sabathia, as a former pitcher, often disagreed with umpire decisions. Since he called it a career in 2019, nothing has changed. As the Red Sox hosted the Astros in Game 4, the former Cy Young Award winner was in the midst of his R2C2 podcast when he got sidetracked by some bad umpiring.
Sabathia and his co-host, Ryan Ruocco, were discussing the Red Sox-Astros series when Sabathia interrupted, obviously focused on the game.
Sabathia remarked, “These umpires are awful.” “Laz Diaz is f****** terrible behind the plate.” They need to take action. Guys are throwing harder and with more movement than ever before, yet they still can’t seem to do this s*** right.
“It happened during the Dodgers game as well. Joc Pederson gets a wicked slider from Walker Buehler. He didn’t receive the call, and the inning finishes with him giving up four runs. It’s insane. They’ve got to get this s*** figured out.”
The Red Sox had every reason to be upset with Laz Diaz’s decision.
The ninth-inning call in Game 4 certainly sparked Sabathia’s outburst, which might have altered the whole series.
In the top of the ninth inning, the game was tied 2-2 when Houston’s Carlos Correa led off with a double off Nathan Eovaldi. After Kyle Tucker struck out, Eovaldi intentionally passed the ball to Yuli Gurriel, putting runners on first and second with one out.
Eovaldi next faced Jason Castro after striking out Aledmys Daz for the second out. Eovaldi seemed to catch Castro looking with a curve on a 1-2 ball, but Diaz failed to ring him up. Despite the fact that the ball was in the strike zone, Castro was able to remain alive in the count.
Castro brought home the game-winning run two pitches later. The floodgates then opened. Houston won 9-2 in the ninth inning, tying the series at two games each.
“I felt that was a strike,” Eovaldi said after the game, according to The Sporting News. “But again, I’m in the moment, trying to make my pitches, attacking the zone.”
Houston won Game 5 and now has a chance to win the series at home on Friday night.
CC Sabathia’s opinion is spot on.
Diaz missed 23 calls behind the plate in Game 4, according to ESPN’s MLB Insider Jeff Passan. This is the most of any umpire in the playoffs. Twelve of them were thrown by Boston pitchers, indicating that he had no preference for one club over the other. He was just off on a regular basis.
Diaz enraged J.D. Martinez and Red Sox manager Alex Cora earlier in the game when he ruled Martinez out on strikes. Cora emerged and engaged Diaz in a heated exchange.
Cora revealed why he went out to argue after the game.
“I had to leap straight away because of the way (Martinez) responded.” “I don’t want him to get kicked out, and we had a disagreement on that one,” Cora said. “I realize it’s early in the game, but it’s first and second, and there’s only one out, so that’s what it is.”
Diaz had a difficult evening. It’s difficult to miss 23 calls. Both teams struggled with him, but if the Red Sox lose the series, Boston supporters will undoubtedly blame that one Eovaldi ninth-inning curve.
RELATED: Charles Barkley Just Gave the Atlanta Braves the Kiss of Death
CC Sabathia Lays Into MLB’s Postseason Umpiring in Profanity-Laced Rant. Reference: cc sabathia weight loss.
Related Tags
- cc sabathia son
- cc sabathia wife
- cc sabathia net worth
- amber sabathia
- cc sabathia twins
