Nationals-Mariners Game Ended on the Worst Called Strike and MLB Fans Rightfully Crushed the Ump

The 2023 Major League Baseball season has been a rough one for the umpires. There has just been so many awful calls so far, which has often led to fans yelling on social media for robots to take over for the guys in blue.

That continued Monday night when the Mariners beat the Nationals thanks to a dreadful called strike that ended the game in the top of the ninth inning. Jeimer Candelario was at the plate with the bases loaded when home plate umpire Mark Carlson rang him up on a pitch that was never near the strike zone.

Check this out:

"Strike 3 called -- if you say so. And the Mariners win it." pic.twitter.com/MIQDpolsBe
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2023

That was a pathetic call by Carlson.

MLB fans were not impressed:

I’m beginning to wonder if there is any group of professionals worse at their jobs than MLB Umpires @MLB @MLBUA https://t.co/Jqm7ba3gBC
— Morris Day’s Mirror (@Flytetime67) June 27, 2023

What in the name of Eric Gregg is this? https://t.co/O3W2HNyaXu
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) June 27, 2023

At this point the umpires are just making stuff up. So many balls/strikes calls aren't close. Consistently. Defiantly. As if the umps have never seen a baseball game before. Or have been directed to do this by their supervisors at #MLB. https://t.co/G8OZ4wKL2L
— Joshua Sipkin (@joshuasipkin) June 27, 2023

blue really needed the bathroom id assume, this is egregious https://t.co/DKlI91MA7c
— Matt Pisani (@pisannd5) June 27, 2023

Why we still have umpires calling balls and strikes, or really anything, at the Major League level is one of life’s great mysteries. https://t.co/Jg5rGKnSB8
— Dave Radcliffe (@DaveRadcliffe_) June 27, 2023

Perhaps home plate ump, Mark Carlson, had a dinner reservation.

This feels like the kind of call that will lead to someone on Washington getting ejected when the lineup cards are exchanged before Tuesday's game. https://t.co/XHFnAvDv34
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) June 27, 2023

Man that ball was in PG County. What the hell that ump looking at https://t.co/28q6tnR7M2
— Kenny HNDRXX (@Deucey_Montana) June 27, 2023

It was nearly closing time @SeattlePaseo , and this ump was not going to miss out on getting a great sandwich by hanging around any longer. https://t.co/kV9DLeX9h8
— Heath Cline (@heathradio) June 27, 2023

Lmfaoooo. What do these umps be seeing. https://t.co/BKhWRy7cMp
— AJ King (@allday_ajking) June 27, 2023