There’s no argument that it’s generally a difficult job to be an MLB umpire. Pitchers are throwing with more velocity and movement than we’ve ever seen before, and umpires are still held to an impossibly high standard.
But there are some pitches that are so easy to call that there’s no excuse. Yet, umpire Brian Walsh managed to miss the easiest call we’ll see all season.
During the fourth inning of Monday’s game between the Orioles and Blue Jays, Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin went middle-middle with a 1-0 sinker. Somehow Walsh stood there without a reaction, calling the pitch a ball.
The Orioles broadcast was so shocked that announcers Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald proceeded to roast the umpire.
Orioles broadcasters Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald understandably had plenty to say about this egregious missed strike call from home plate umpire Brian Walsh.
“I mean, you couldn’t set it on a tee in the heart of the plate any better than that. How do you miss that?” pic.twitter.com/YZbqf3em1G
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 29, 2025
“That’s literally right down the middle,” Brown said.
McDonald added, “I mean, you couldn’t set it on a tee in the heart of the plate any better than that. How do you miss that?”
With the at-bat flipped in his favor, Ernie Clement would end up hitting a single and scoring later in the inning.
And on top of having the worst call of the MLB season, Walsh wasn’t great the rest of the way behind the plate. He missed 12 pitches on the night. (Expand tweet to see the strike zone).
Umpire: Brian Walsh
Final: Blue Jays 4, Orioles 11#LightsUpLetsGo // #Birdland#TORvsBAL // #BALvsTORMore stats for this ump 👇https://t.co/PaIfvKx15bpic.twitter.com/CxeveU75UZ
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) July 29, 2025
Could you imagine if the ABS challenge system was in place for that game? It would have been even more embarrassing for Walsh.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Broadcast was dumbfounded after ump Brian Walsh had worst missed call