The Toronto Blue Jays appeared to be in a good position in top of the second inning, before a very strange situation emerged on Monday in Game 3 of the World Series.
Bo Bichette was thrown out on the base paths after starting to advance to second on what he thought was ball four, but was actually called a strike by home plate umpire Mark Wegner.
There appeared to be confusion at home plate as Daulton Varsho took a pitch above the zone, took a step towards first base, froze when he seemingly heard the call, then once again proceeded to start his trot to first base, tossing his bat and motioning to remove his elbow guard.
“I called the pitch a strike like I always do, with the voice, the mechanic,” Wegner said post-game. “And I guess he didn’t hear me, and so that’s why maybe he started to go to first.”
Bichette turned away from home plate as the umpire delivered the late strike call, glanced back as Varsho discarded his lumber and started for second.
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was alerted to the movement off the bag and threw the ball to Freddie Freeman, who tagged Bichette out.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider immediately walked out to home plate to discuss the call with Wegner.
“I think just to be a little bit quicker with his call,” said Schneider to on-field reporter Ken Rosenthal on the FOX Sports broadcast. “Mark’s a great umpire, been doing it a long time, very delayed call, pretty deliberate. Just didn’t say anything, so Varsh assumed it was a ball and Bo assumed.
“I just asked him, in this environment, can he be a little bit quicker or give a little more clarity, so everyone kind of knows what’s going on.”
Varsho walked three pitches later and Alejandro Kirk followed with a single that could have potentially scored Bichette and tied the game 1-1.
Bichette returned from a knee sprain that held him out since Sept. 6 for Game 1 of the World Series after being left off the ALDS and ALCS rosters.
The baseball world was quick to react to the strange play on social media.
