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Just a few minutes after the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and the Dodgers, things got heated. “Everybody is confused,” the announcer said in the second inning, and they were right to be. Mark Wegner, the home plate umpire, decided for a strike that was so late and uncertain that Blue Jays supporters quickly accused him of being biased. The choice startled everyone and cost Toronto a baserunner and a chance to score. Leaving both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and fans shocked! The chaos happened in the top of the second inning. Bo Bichette got things going with a crisp single to center field, putting a runner on base with no outs. What occurred next turned a normal at-bat into a big deal. Daulton Varsho faced Tyler Glasnow and thought a high pitch was ball four, beginning to walk to first base. Bo Bichette, seeing Varsho’s reaction, also started toward second. Everyone in the stadium believed it was a walk, but umpire Mark Wegner called it a strike instead. Glasnow quickly threw to Freddie Freeman at first base, catching Bichette in between bases, resulting in a crucial out that ended the inning before it began. That left everyone scratching their head, especially the Jays! ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad FOX Sports: MLB captured the aftermath perfectly, posting a clip that instantly went viral. The clip showed Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s stunned reaction to Wegner’s strike call. “Vladimir Guerrero Jr couldn’t believe the strike call,” the caption read. The post ignited Blue Jays fans immediately, who flooded the comments questioning the Umpire’s reliability. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad For Toronto and Bichette in particular, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Bo Bichette, who missed seven weeks because of a sprained left knee, came back for the World Series in a completely different capacity. In today’s Game, he was playing at second base. Well, this was his first time there since 2019 in the Minor Leagues. The Blue Jays made a strategic change to get him back in the lineup, and now Mark Wegener’s bad call had turned Bichette’s mental adjustment into a baserunning mistake that wasn’t even his fault. The Blue Jays lost a chance, and the Dodgers made them pay for it. Max Muncy hit a solo home run to right field, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. Even Jack Harris, who writes for the Dodgers, thought what just happened was weird. He wrote on X, “Oh boy. Daulton Varsho thought he’d walked, but HP ump Mark Wegner gave it a late strike call.” “At first base, Bo Bichette didn’t see that—and got caught walking to second for a huge first out of this inning.” Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Between innings, Blue Jays manager John Schneider marched over to the home plate umpire for a conversation, clearly unhappy with what he’d witnessed and needing answers his team and fanbase deserved. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Home plate umpire’s delay triggers online fury The outrage online was immediate and unfiltered. Fans watching couldn’t process how such a critical moment got butchered by one man’s incompetence. One fan’s assessment cut straight to the point: “What a do—– umpire omg.” The comment captured the raw frustration of watching Mark Wegner blow a call in the World Series—baseball’s biggest stage—where any misjudgment can cost the game. Another viewer echoed the same sentiment with pure bewilderment. “wtf is wrong with this umpire,” they wrote, expressing what millions were thinking at that moment. This wasn’t just about one bad call—it was about a delayed call creating chaos in the game, which should have been a clean call. Well, it’s not the first time Wegener’s call has been questioned. Back in the regular series in the game involving the Yankees and the Mariners, a call in the ninth inning: Jasson Dominguez was called out on a low fastball that looked well below the strike zone. Mark Wegner, the umpire, made the call, which made Domínguez visibly angry and prompted manager Aaron Boone to come onto the field; Boone was later ejected. The pitch location itself became central to the controversy brewing online. “What a bad call from the umpire. That pitch was a ball,” one fan argued. Many depend on strike-zone tracking and think that the human factor lets them down, which makes them wonder about how accurate and consistent high-stakes games are. And that led to thinking about the Robot Umpire! The comment read with sarcasm, “The owner of a Robot Umpire company just made a million dollars.” Every blown call like this one strengthens the case for introducing a Robot Umpire. Major League Baseball has tested them in the minors with promising results. Moments like Wegener’s disaster in Game 3 don’t just embarrass the umpire—they accelerate the timeline for technology replacing humans behind home plate entirely. This wasn’t any regular game; it was Game 3 of the Fall Classic, where every small factor mattered. And one fan highlighted that, “An umpire cannot call that a strike in game 3 of the f—–g World Series LMFAO.” Regular-season mistakes get buried in 162 games. Postseason blunders become defining moments that fans remember forever. The conversation has now shifted into a new direction. Will MLB talk about late calls or zone accuracy during the World Series? How will teams get ready for calls that aren’t clear, especially when the stakes are so high?
