The MLB World Series is the place where the best compete for supremacy.
We usually say this about players, but it’s a reality for umpires, too.
The Fall Classic is where the very best umpires are, and this became evident on Saturday’s Game 2 of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros.
“Per @UmpScorecards, Pat Hoberg has posted the first perfect game since data started in 2015, spanning 18,084 games with data. Top 20 games based on Overall Accuracy shown below,” Umpire Scorecards Analysis tweeted.
Per @UmpScorecards, Pat Hoberg has posted the first perfect game since data started in 2015, spanning 18,084 games with data. Top 20 games based on Overall Accuracy shown below. @MLB #WorldSeries #Postseason @Phillies @astros pic.twitter.com/WbmREF9B0q
— Umpire Scorecards Analysis (@UmpAnalysis) October 30, 2022
On Saturday’s game, Hoberg called 129 out of 129 taken pitches correctly, with not even one mistake.
In the vast majority of MLB games, umpires will call some balls as strikes and vice versa from time to time.
A Victory For The Umpires
On specific occasions, this happens more than just “from time to time,” which has prompted fans and specialists to call for the automated strike zone to be implemented.
However, we also have games like the one called by Hoberg, with very few mistakes.
Of course, since 2015 at least, there hasn’t been any games like Hoberg’s, because he just achieved the first perfect contest since the data has been collected.
If you see the chart with the top-20 games in overall umpire accuracy, you will find that the vast majority came in the regular season.
The fact that Hoberg did this in the World Series, with everyone watching, brings some poetic justice to umpires, who are insulted and harassed on a daily basis because they make human mistakes, like all of us at our jobs.
It was an impressive achievement that should be celebrated.
Hopefully more umpires could see this as inspiration and improve their game, too.
NEXT: J.T. Realmuto Continues To Be A Threat Behind The Plate