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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox fell 6-5 to the Cincinnati Reds in extra innings on March 28 at Great American Ball Park. Nonetheless, one of the storylines from this loss was the performance of umpire C. B. Bucknor.
Bucknor ejected Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the loss for arguing a check-swing call on Trevor Story. Moreover, Bucknor, in that call, the umpire did not appeal to the first-base umpire on the check swing and had already had several calls overturned on ABS challenges in the game.
After the game, Cora spoke with reporters and didn’t hold back his thoughts on Bucknor’s performance calling balls and strikes behind home plate.
“He has one job to do,” Cora told reporters postgame (h/t NESN). “It’s called balls and strikes, and it wasn’t his best day, and that’s what the system does. It is out there, everybody sees it, and he’ll be the first one to accept it. I saw him putting his head down after one of the challenges, and we’re all human, it’s not easy.”
Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post relayed early-season ABS challenge data for MLB umpires. Bucknor has had eight calls challenged, with 75 percent overturned; Chad Whitson has seven challenges, all of which have been overturned; and Tripp Gibson has six, with 67 percent overturned.
Red Sox’s Trevor Story Doesn’t Hold Back on C. B. Bucknor
Meanwhile, Story, who went 1-for-6 in the game with a home run, also shared his thoughts on the check-swing call from Bucknor that led to the Cora ejection.
“Obviously disagree with the call real strongly, and I think a lot of people did, too,” Story said postgame (h/t Tyler Milliken). “I told them my piece. We said was what we said out there, and I don’t have anything really good to say about the situation, so I’m not going to say anything else.”
Roman Anthony Gets Honest After Losing Last ABS Challenge
The Red Sox had no challenges in a close game that went to the 11th inning, in the loss to the Reds, because the last challenge was used by Roman Anthony. After the game, the young Red Sox star shared the self-criticism he had about himself after using up the challenge early in the game, which was unsuccessful.
“I think it just goes back to me kind of wasting that second one, Anthony told reporters (h/t Tyler Milliken). “Can’t happen, and it unfortunately frees you, you just lose them. We saw how that worked out. So it’s a lesson. We’ll take it as a lesson, and at least I will.
“I’d rather it happen now than down the road, but you kind of just take that and learn from that and learn from what followed that and hold on to those.”
Despite the criticism he had of himself, Anthony had an RBI, going 1-for-5. Meanwhile, the best player in the contest for Boston in this loss to the Reds was Wilyer Abreu, who went 2-for-5, including a home run. Nonetheless, it wasn’t enough for the Red Sox to come away with the win.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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