Another day, another outraged flashpoint in Major League Baseball umpiring. It seems like discussions about balls and strikes occur almost every day now. This season already saw incidents like Mike Estabrook’s 21 missed calls raising eyebrows early on. That charged atmosphere set the stage for a recent Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians game.
The game was played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on April 18, 2025. And it was a lively contest between two competitive teams. The visiting Cleveland Guardians beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-7. The victory was a must for Cleveland, they had lost their last two games. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, came into the match playing well, taking three of their last four. It was a high-scoring affair with momentum swinging back and forth. But underneath the surface of runs scored and defensive plays, another narrative was brewing, focused directly on the home plate umpire.
That narrative went viral on X, thanks to the Umpire Auditor account. They wrote: “Umpire Chris Conroy missed a SEASON HIGH 24 calls in the Pirates Guardians game.” His 24 misses surpassed other high-profile blunders reported in mid-April within the same week. Just a few days earlier, Mike Estabrook faced criticism for missing 21 calls in a Dodgers-Rockies game. John Bacon had missed 17 calls, which favoured the Orioles. Scott Barry missed 16, with one particular miss that directly influenced the outcome. Conroy’s total topped them all.
Umpire Chris Conroy missed a SEASON HIGH 24 calls in the Pirates Guardians game. pic.twitter.com/obCwLzR58r
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) April 19, 2025
The man receiving this intense scrutiny was veteran umpire Chris Conroy. He has been working full-time with Major League Baseball since 2013. He stepped up to the Crew Chief position and has solid postseason experience. This includes working several League Championship Series, and even the 2022 World Series. Yet this seasoned veteran delivered a performance metrics flagged as exceptionally poor.
Context on its severity comes from comparing Conroy’s 24 misses. While potentially a season-high at the time, other umpires have had equally bad days of late. Brian Walsh was said to have missed 24 calls during a game in 2024. Mike Muchlinski missed 22 in another 2024 contest. These instances illustrate that very high errors happen occasionally across the league. However, they remain significant deviations from the typical average of around 11-14 misses per game.
Did these missed calls directly change the game’s outcome? It’s difficult to say for sure without going through every pitch. However, 24 errors likely influenced crucial moments in such a close, high-scoring game. Take Cleveland’s three-run rally in the fourth inning that took the lead. Missed calls there might have prolonged at-bats or helped hitters inappropriately. Likewise, Pittsburgh’s ninth-inning comeback attempt ended with runners on base. A bad call during that final rally could have unjustly stomped their momentum down, handing the Guardians the win.
Pirates-Guardians game highlights
Beyond the umpiring drama, this matchup gave us some truly stellar player performances. Pittsburgh’s dynamic shortstop, Oneil Cruz, kept an extraordinary power streak going. His leadoff home run marked his third straight game with a significant blast. Two days before, he had hit a grand slam, and the day after that, he had hit a leadoff home run. This put Cruz in very rare company, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He matched Charlie Blackmon as the only players since 1900 with that particular three-game power show.
Cleveland also had several players contribute to the win. Catcher Bo Naylor had a stellar night at the plate. Coming into the game batting only .162, Naylor broke out with three hits. He added a solo home run and a crucial two-run double. The pitcher Luis L. Ortiz, a trade acquisition taking on his old Pirates club, got the win. He threw five strong innings, with eight strikeouts. Pirates first baseman Enmanuel Valdez also hit a late two-run homer, fueling Pittsburgh’s attempted comeback. These are the moments we can not ignore.
In the end, we can only ask: As baseball embraces more technology, how much longer will such significant human error influence crucial games?
The post MLB News: Umpires Come Under Scrutiny Over Season-High Blunders in Pirates vs Guardians Showdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.
