MLB umpire caught on hot mic after controversial call: ‘I’m not a magician!’

SNY hot mics caught Major League Baseball umpire Chad Whitson making an interesting admission during a recent matchup between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals.

The Mets took the series finale against Washington to complete a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon. But after taking a 4-0 lead into the ninth inning, what should have been a relatively stress-free finish became tense.

With one run in, two runners on base, a 3-0 count, and Mets closer Edwin Diaz struggling to find the plate, Whitson gave the Mets no help when he called ball four to load the bases for Washington with no outs. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza quickly let Whitson know he didn’t agree with the call from the dugout, with the two ending up in a heated discussion that was loud enough to be picked up by SNY.

“I’m not a magician” – home plate umpire Chad Whitson after Mets manager Carlos Mendoza accuses him of blowing a call pic.twitter.com/Kk4K56t5V5

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“I can’t make ‘em up!” Whitson fired back at Mendoza before lifting his face mask up to yell, “I’m not a magician!”

“Boy,” Mets analyst Ron Darling said. “Short fuse from Whitson. But maybe he’s been hearing it from the bench all game.”

A short fuse would have been sending Mendoza back into the clubhouse, which Whitson didn’t do. Instead, he offered everyone one of the more entertaining lines we’ve heard from an umpire on a hot mic. It wasn’t quite “our a** is in the jackpot,” but “I’m not a magician” was still great.

The comment could be taken in one of two ways. Either Whitson was saying, “I’m not a magician,” meaning he can’t magically get every call right, or the umpire was saying, “I’m not a magician,” meaning he can’t turn balls into strikes. He probably meant the latter. Because, despite Mendoza’s issue with the call, Diaz’s pitch was a little low.