On Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds had the displeasure of going against a red-hot Milwaukee Brewers team that has been the best team in baseball since the All-Star break. And unfortunately, they also had to deal with the rather inconsistent strike zone of home plate umpire Mike Estabrook, which Reds broadcasters John Sadak and Barry Larkin took issue with at a crucial point in the game.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Reds erased a 2-1 deficit on an RBI single from Jose Trevino, putting the Brewers 14-game win streak in jeopardy in the process.

Trevi ties it!@HipHipJose5 pic.twitter.com/wPK8DrWwFr

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 17, 2025

Reds third baseman KeBryan Hayes would then come up to the plate to potentially win the game with runners on first and third and only one out.

But unfortunately for Reds fans, Estabrook’s questionable strike zone would play a significant factor in the end result of the at-bat.

The fourth pitch of the at-bat from Brewers reliever Garrett Anderson, a sweeper, appeared to break several inches out of the strike zone, but was called a strike by Estabrook. Right away, John Sadak and Barry Larkin vehemently contested the call.

“Strike???!! What??!” said Sadak immediately after the call was made.

“Probably the closest thing he’s gonna see to a strike with first base open,” replied Larkin.

“Not close,” replied Sadak as a graphic of where the pitch landed in relation to home plate was shown on the broadcast.

“STRIKE???!! What??! Not close!” pic.twitter.com/21keql4Xxv

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 17, 2025

What makes this call worse is that the count would later become 3-2, which obviously wouldn’t have been the case if the strike call hadn’t been made. And the final pitch of the at-bat, which resulted in Hayes striking out looking, was another questionable call that was perhaps too close for Hayes to take, but still pretty clearly should have been called a ball.

Pitches 4 and 7 were called strikes in the most pivotal at-bat of the Red’s season pic.twitter.com/hsoI5gj71Z

— WT – MOTIVATED (@WildcatsTongue) August 17, 2025

The next Reds batter, Matt McLain, would draw a walk to load the bases. But the Brewers would ultimately get out of the jam to force extra innings, which very well could not have been the case if Estabrook’s strike zone was a bit tighter during Hayes at-bat.

Ultimately, the Reds would end up overcoming Estabrook’s shaky strike zone, with Austin Hays coming through with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning.

2ND CAREER WALK-OFF FOR @TheAustinHaysss #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/iTUmGmhlq7

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 17, 2025

Clearly, if things had gone differently in extra innings, Sadak and Larkin likely would have had even more to say about Estabrook’s inconsistencies throughout the game. Especially considering how important each and every game is for the Reds, who are squarely in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the National League.