The Little League World Series is a showcase for some of the best and brightest baseball players, but perhaps the same can’t be said of the tournament’s umpires.
One umpire made the game — or at least one cringe-worthy at-bat — about himself Monday night in the Southeast regional featuring Georgia and Alabama, with two horrid called strikes to apparently punish a batter for heading to first base on presumed balls.
In the second inning with a 3-0 count at the plate, Georgia’s Chase Fralick watched Alabama’s pitcher throw a pitch that appeared high and inside. As he began to walk to first, the umpire called a strike.
It got worse with the next pitch, as Fralick had the nerve to assume a way outside pitch was a ball and headed toward first. Once again, the umpire called a strike, forcing Fralick to crack a smile in disbelief.
Ultimately, Fralick would earn his walk with the next pitch, en route to an 8-3 victory. But not before this ump’s power trip.
