Joe Scarborough Torches ‘HORRIBLE’ Umpires for Victimizing Red Sox, Alleges MLB is Conspiring a Seven-Game Series

The Boston Red Sox were victims of an awful call by home plate umpire Laz Diaz Tuesday night during Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

Wednesday morning, Joe Scarborough joined Red Sox fans in torching umpires everywhere, blaming brutal officiating for allowing the Houston Astros to tie the ALCS 2-2.

“A number of just HORRIFIC, bad calls,” Scarborough said on MSNBC. “I’ve never seen as many bad calls this year from umpires…it’s some of the worst umping I’ve ever seen in my life behind home plate and it’s time to do what tennis does and automate it.”

With two outs and a 3-2 count on Astros hitter Jason Castro, Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi delivered what every Boston baseball fan thought was a clear strike three to end the half-inning. Instead, Diaz called the pitch a ball, breathing new life into the at-bat and allowing the Astros to score an improbable seven runs in the inning.

Former US Senator from Missouri Claire McCaskill argued the Red Sox and their fans shouldn’t be focused on just one pitch of a championship series. “It’s not a winning mentality,” McCaskill said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

But it’s hard not to focus on that one pitch. If the pitch was correctly called by Diaz, the Red Sox enter the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 2-2. Instead, the botched call caused the Red Sox to implode by giving up a stunning seven-run rally to the Astros. Boston didn’t help their cause, but the umpire made it much worse.

After replaying the pitch in question, Scarborough grew increasingly frustrated by Diaz calling the obvious strike a ball. “I guess you have to do what you have to do to let the Astros win, you want this thing to go to Game 7,” Scarborough said, sarcastically alleging Major League Baseball may have had something to do with the bad call.

MLB would love a Game 7 for both of their League Championship Series, but imploring umpires to make it happen seems farfetched. Diaz didn’t appear to have a motive, he was just bad. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Diaz incorrectly called 23 pitches behind the plate Tuesday night. 12 went against the Red Sox and 11 against the Astros, so at least Diaz was fairly inaccurate.

Watch above via MSNBC

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