We are not so delusional to ignore the many problems beset upon our fallen Minnesota Twins but … the umpires are against them!
Or so it seems. The Wall Street Journal reports that when assessing whether a pitch is a ball or a strike, umpires get the call wrong around 8 percent of the time, according to a review of every call this season by Inside Edge, a professional scouting service used by 15 major-league teams. That translates to an average of 8.8 incorrect calls per game behind the plate.
Almost nine bad calls a game? That’s gotta be the Twins’ problem!
Actually, the Twins, it seems, have not had the calls go their way. Michael Rand of the Star Tribune looks at the numbers and says the Twins have benefited from missed ball-strike calls an MLB-low 44.3 percent of the time. The next lowest is the Cubs at 45.7.
Here’s a look at the breakdown:
Hey, no fair! The Brewers are getting all the calls!
As the WSJ reports, regardless of the reasons for inconsistencies within the strike zone, the variance has a major impact on the game.
With a few more calls going their way, the Twins might not be looking at another 90-loss season.
