CB Bucknor’s Challenging Week Continues
CB Bucknor’s difficult week took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when he was forced to leave the Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays game after being struck in the face mask by a foul ball.
During the second inning, Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski threw a fastball clocked at 100.2 mph, which Rays catcher Nick Fortes managed to foul back. The ball hit Bucknor squarely on his mask, causing him to collapse on the field. After receiving medical attention, he stood up and made his way to the umpires’ room at American Family Field.
This incident capped off a tumultuous week for Bucknor, who recently gained notoriety as the poster umpire for MLB’s new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. Having officiated MLB games since 1999, Bucknor has often been in contentious situations regarding his ball and strike calls, and his adaptation to the new challenge system has proven challenging.
Bucknor’s troubles began last Saturday in Cincinnati, where he was the plate umpire. The Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox challenged eight of his calls, with six being overturned. Reds player Eugenio Suárez’s consecutive successful challenges elicited loud cheers from the crowd. Later, Bucknor ruled against Red Sox player Trevor Story on a check swing, leading to an ejection of Red Sox manager Alex Cora for arguing.
“His job is to call balls and strikes,” Cora noted after the Red Sox’s close 6-5 loss. “It wasn’t his best day. The system is there, and he’ll acknowledge it.” Bucknor indeed seemed to acknowledge the challenges as he visibly lowered his head after some of the overturned calls.
On Tuesday, while at first base, Bucknor ruled Brewers’ player Jake Bauers out after a tag from Rays second baseman Jonathan Aranda, believing Bauers missed the first base bag. This was despite Bauers not meaning to advance to second. The Brewers contested the call, which was overturned, allowing Bauers to steal second and eventually score, contributing to Milwaukee’s 6-2 victory.
The introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike system has faced backlash from former umpires, who argue that it lacks the nuance required for fair officiating. According to former umpire Gary Darling, the strike zone is not an exact science, which complicates the new challenge system. Retired umpire Dale Scott mentioned that active umpires are now adjusting their calls based on the system rather than their own judgement. As this technology evolves, umpires like Bucknor face not only managerial scrutiny but also public ridicule during games.
