SI

Yankees Secure Win Over Angels Thanks to Dreadful Called Third Strike

Ryan Phillips

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Logan O'Hoppe is called out on a third strike to end a game against the New York Yankees.
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Logan O'Hoppe is called out on a third strike to end a game against the New York Yankees. / Via Jomboy Media on
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The Los Angeles Angels lost Wednesday night, and they have every right to be upset.

The New York Yankees beat the Angels 1-0 in a tight battle, but they got a lot of help in the final inning from home plate umpire Ben May.

Angels designated hitter Logan O'Hoppe was facing Mark Leiter Jr. in the bottom of the ninth inning when May took the bat out of his hands.

L.A. had Matthew Lugo on first with two outs, and O'Hoppe faced a 2-2 count. That's when Leiter uncorked a curveball that was clearly far off the plate, but May rang O'Hoppe up to end the game.

Video is below.

Here's a look at the location:

That is a brutal call, made even worse by the fact that it ended a close game. Given the context, it has to be one of the worst calls of the year.

This is why MLB needs to implement the ABS challenge system as soon as possible. This call would have quickly been overturned, and Leiter would have faced O'Hoppe with a 3-2 count.

Instead, the game is over, and everyone was cheated out of what could have been an exciting finish.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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