Umpires and the Bad Toupee Theory

Throughout the entire American workforce, there are countless thankless jobs…and then there are umpires. Umpires are responsible for maintaining order even during the most heated and fastest parts of the game. Responsible for calling balls and strikes, if baserunners are safe or out, catches, infield fly rules, and any other regulations that may come up over a 9-inning game. Baseball fans have a complicated relationship with umpires, to say the least. While we love to see our teams benefit from an umpire’s call, we loathe them that much more when the opposite is true.

We Only Notice the Bad

A baseball umpire is like a bad toupee; we only notice them when something is a little bit off. The most thankless part of an umpire’s job is that they go completely unnoticed when they get balls and strikes correct. It is only when the call is wrong that everyone notices. Similarly, a good toupee goes unnoticed because it just looks like someone has hair. When we see a bad toupee, it drags down everyone who wears them; when we see a bad call by an umpire, it calls the entire profession into question.

Believe it or not, in an age that calls for robot umpires and the ability to challenge balls and strikes, umpiring is the most accurate it has been since umpire accuracy was a trackable stat. When the tracking started in 2008, the league average accuracy was around 84%; now, midway through this season, accuracy is hovering around 94%. An increase of 10% in accuracy over this time is extraordinary, given that the average fastball has increased in velocity from 91 MPH to 94 MPH.

It is clear that umpires aren’t perfect, but the profession is incredibly difficult. The schooling can only prepare you so much before the decision is completely up to you. With fastballs travelling as fast as they do, umpiring is literally “blink and you’ll miss it.” While a balls and strikes challenge system, like the one used in Minor League and Spring Training Baseball, aims to help increase accuracy, the umpires themselves are already showing improvement. It is easy to get lost in a sea of bad calls, but the proof is there that umpires are doing a great, yet thankless, job.

Get Off Your Knees, Blue!

While I do believe that umpires have shown great improvement, there are still some terrible blunders and personnel that must be discussed. It is understandable why we decide to only focus on the bad calls from umpires when those calls can often determine the outcome of games.

In the fall of 2007, the Colorado Rockies made an incredible comeback to finish out the 162-game regular season. Tied with the Padres for the Wild Card Spot, the teams had to play a game 163 to determine who was going to the postseason and whose season was over. The score was tied in the bottom of the 13th inning when Matt Holliday hit a game-tying triple and then went on to score the game-winning run, leading to the “Rocktober” World Series run. However, upon viewing the replay, it was evident that Holliday had missed home plate and, therefore, would have been out. This was back before the challenge and review system we have today, meaning the Padres were sent home, and the Rockies were going to the Postseason.

Few Umpires are as detestable as Angel Hernandez, the snake of the officiating world. Hernandez’s accuracy was below league average, and when he missed, he really missed. The man had three consecutive calls overturned by replay, was constantly criticized by fans and players, and was quick to eject anyone who disagreed with his call. Famously, he was confrontational with players like Bryce Harper, who threw his helmet into the stands after his screaming match with the umpire. Hernandez even ejected celebrities in the crowd throughout his tenure as a major league umpire, including a Chicago Bears player at the Cubs game. Hernandez has been away from Major League Baseball for over a year now, and fans certainly haven’t missed him.

The 28-Out Perfect Game

Umpires are human; they are bound to make mistakes, but one mistake goes above and beyond all others. In early June 2010, Armando Galarraga was on the cusp of history. The Detroit Tigers were winning in the bottom of the 9th, and their starting pitcher hadn’t allowed a single base runner all game. The crowd stood still, watching as history was about to be made without daring to say the two words that would jeopardize the entire operation. At this point, only 20 perfect games had ever been thrown in the entirety of Major League Baseball history.

Galarraga dealt the ball to Cleveland’s Jason Donald, who hit a ground ball to the right side. First Baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded it and threw the ball to Galarraga covering first, beating the runner by half a step. What should have been one of the most famous days in baseball quickly fell into infamy as umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe. Galarraga got the next batter out, ending what fans refer to as the 28-out or almost perfect game.

Galarraga’s pitching performance that day was absolutely stunning, not only because of his near perfection, but because of how efficient he was on the mound. Throughout the entire game, Galarraga only threw 88 pitches to the 28 men that he faced. It was a bad call that kept Galarraga out of the history books.

Where We Go From Here

Umpiring is an incredibly difficult task and is one of the most thankless jobs in all of sports. And while accuracy has increased over time, robots calling balls and strikes, and the challenge system, are not out of the realm of possibility. Umpiring means there is a chance of human error in the game, and while some say this human error is important for the game, others would disagree. In the case of Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game, human error stopped him just short of greatness. However, for Rockies fans, human error put Colorado in the postseason in 2007, leading to one of the most surprising postseason runs of the 2000s. Would eliminating errors take away our stories?

Sources

A look at all 24 perfect games in AL/NL history. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://www.mlb.com/news/all-time-perfect-games

Andrews, D. (2024, February 1). Strike Three?! Let’s Check in on Umpire Accuracy. FanGraphs Baseball. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/strike-three-lets-check-in-on-umpire-accuracy/

Ángel Hernández, MLB’s most infamous umpire, leaves us with an odd legacy. (2024, May 29). Yahoo Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/angel-hernandez-mlbs-most-infamous-umpire-leaves-us-with-an-odd-legacy-000620358.html

Bryanbutto. (2024, June 21). MLB Umpire Angel Hernandez. Medium. https://medium.com/@bryanbutto/mlb-umpire-angel-hernandez-bb104d60b951

Did Matt Holliday actually touch home plate? (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://www.mlb.com/news/did-matt-holliday-touch-home-plate

Hall, A. (2024, August 13). New ESPN E60 Examines Incredible Story of Armando Galarraga’s Near-Perfect Game and the Man Who Took It Away. ESPN Press Room U.S. https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/08/new-espn-e60-examines-incredible-story-of-armando-galarragas-near-perfect-game-and-the-man-who-took-it-away/