There is clearly no love lost between the New York Yankees and umpire Brian Walsh, whose performance behind the plate Wednesday night was a contentious topic.
The Yankees disagreed with several calls in their 8-7 loss to the Houston Astros, in which manager Aaron Boone and reliever Devin Williams both get ejected.
It all came to a head in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Williams melted down while trying to preserve a 4-4 tie. The embattled pitcher issued three walks, including one to Taylor Trammell that forced in the go-ahead run, before leaving the mound in disgust over a series of controversial calls.
Why Did the Yankees Complain About the Strike Zone?
Williams, who has struggled much of the season, served up a leadoff double to Carlos Correa in the eighth before issuing three walks around a pair of strikeouts.
After the third walk that brought in the go-ahead run, both Williams and Boone were ejected by Walsh.
Williams told Walsh he missed four pitches — two each to Jesus Sanchez and Trammell — in the inning.
“When you’re making good pitches, which I was, not getting those calls really changes the course of the at-bat,” Williams said, via the New York Post.
Catcher Austin Wells backed his pitcher, telling The Athletic Williams had a “right to be frustrated.”
Things continued to unravel for the Yankees, as Camilo Doval replaced Williams and allowed three inherited runners to score. Following a single by Jeremy Pena that made the score 6-4, Doval balked in another run after not getting set long enough. Later, Doval had issues with his PitchCom device, which led to even more issues between the Yankees and Walsh.
The Yankees got three runs back in the top of the ninth on a homer by Cody Bellinger, but their rally ended when Jazz Chisholm Jr. was called out on a close 3-2 pitch for the final out.
What is Everyone Saying About the Strike Zone?
New York Knicks forward and noted Yankees fan Josh Hart voiced his displeasure about Walsh’s strike zone after the game, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “That Ump needs to be suspended. He’s trash.”
Chisholm declined to speak with reporters postgame but retweeted Hart’s post. Chisholm also offered a lewd response on X to a fan who advocated for Walsh to be suspended.
Will Warren, who started for the Yankees and allowed two runs in five innings, said he thought the umpires “gifted” the game to Houston.
“It sucks,” Warren said, via YES Network.
Were the Yankees Right to Complain?
According to UmpScorecards, Walsh called just 90% of balls and strikes accurately, 0.5% below the average rate for MLB umpires this season.
Walsh’s called strike accuracy was only 85%, with eight of 52 strikes called incorrectly. His called ball accuracy was 93%, with eight of 115 balls called incorrectly.
The most impactful call was Williams’ 2-0 pitch to Trammell that Walsh incorrectly called a ball.
“+1.4 runs for Houston based on his calls is wild,” one fan commented.
Yankees Fume at Umpire Brian Walsh After Late Game Meltdown in Loss to Astros