Orioles broadcasters Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald discussing a pitch down the middle being called a ball Photo Credit: MASN
By Reice Shipley on

There have been countless instances this season where broadcasters have taken exception to borderline calls from umpires behind the plate. But on Monday, Baltimore Orioles broadcasters Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald had every right to critique home-plate umpire Brian Walsh after one of the most egregious missed strike calls of the season thus far.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement led off the top of the fourth inning against Orioles starting pitcher Zach Elfin. Clement took a ball on the first pitch that easily could have been called a strike. But the second pitch of the at-bat was a strike to everyone in the stadium and everyone watch at home. Everyone except for Brian Walsh that is…

Right away, Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald were baffled that the pitch was not called a strike, questioning where the pitch that was down the middle of the strike zone, both vertically and horizontally, could have possibly missed.

“Come on! Wait a minute, wait a minute,” said Brown. “That’s literally right down the middle.”

“My goodness. What is going on at home plate?” added McDonald. “Brian Walsh, man… I mean, you couldn’t set it on a tee in the heart of the plate any better than that. How do you miss that? Get that right arm going Brian.”

Ultimately, Clement would go on to hit a ground ball through the infield for a lead-off single. But even after the at-bat was done, Brown and McDonald, along with the Orioles home crowd at Camden Yards, were not done putting Walsh on blast for the inexplicable call. One fan was heard on a hot mic saying “That’s on you, you suck blue,” which further prompted Brown and McDonald to discuss the call.

“Well, at least one fan is not thrilled with that,” joked Brown.

“Yeah, and he could see it from way back here,” added McDonald. “He’s not even looking at the monitor.”

“This is where the two arms at a seesaw swing, and sometimes it’s very tough to umpire gets weighed down by ‘Yes, but it’s right down the middle,'” added Brown.

As Brown alluded to, umpiring is a tough job. But if you aren’t going to get a call right on a pitch smack dab in the middle of the strike zone, how are you possibly going to call pitches that are much closer at more important points in the game?

Calls like this certainly cater to the growing crowd of baseball fans that have been calling for MLB to implement their Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, which MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has teased could be coming as soon as the 2026 season.

Unfortunately, until that day comes, the Orioles and every other team in baseball are at the mercy of umpires like Walsh, who has developed a reputation as one of the more inaccurate home-plate umpires in baseball.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley