An Umpire Ended a College Game on One of the Most Insane Calls You'll Ever See

Down a run in the ninth inning. Runner on third. Two outs.

Obviously your main objective is to drive that runner in and tie the game, but at the very least you need to get on base by any means necessary. That's what Javy Espinoza of St. Mary's thought he had done when this 2-2 pitch plunked him in the thigh to put him on base as the go-ahead run. Instead, the umpire called the pitch a strike because Espinoza didn't make an effort to get out of the way, giving Loyola Marymount a strikeout to end the game.

I think there are a lot of really stupid rules in sports. Charges in college basketball are an epidemic. Targeting has become terribly misapplied and ejects players from games for hits often far less dangerous than many facemask penalties. But far and away, the college baseball hit by pitch rule is the dumbest thing we have going in any sport.

If a player leans out over the plate looking to get hit, sure, call that a strike. But if a fastball is coming right towards you in the batter's box, you are under no obligation to get out of the way of that pitch. It's literally called the batter's box. You have the right to that space.

Also, even if you're going to have this dumbass rule, a pitch deemed to have been leaned into should be called where it was in relation to the strike zone. You're giving the pitcher a strike for a ball that was a foot off the plate. Gross.

I hope the St. Mary's coach gave this umpire an earful.