Perhaps if the umpire put on a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, some fans must be thinking, the Toronto Blue Jays would know what they are up against.
Following baseball protocol or not, this was the sentiment of Blue Jays fans across the country on this bizarre, controversial play Monday night in Game 3 of the World Series.
What the Jays found themselves up against in the top of the second inning was a scenario where not only did the umpire call a fourth ball a strike instead, his delay in doing so ended up costing the Jays a base-runner.
Certainly, Blue Jays hitter Daulton Varsho seemed to think it was a ball and was starting to head to first base on umpire Mark Wegner’s delayed call. Finally, after at least two full seconds, he called it a strike.
“Bro, what just happened?” posted Boston’s 10th Man on X, adding the “umpire made his call way too late … so unfair to the Blue Jays.”
Mark Wegner should never be allowed to umpire an MLB game ever again.
— 𝕃𝔼𝔸𝔽𝕊 𝔽𝕆ℝ𝔼𝕍𝔼ℝ (@BlueBuds34) October 28, 2025
A ball a foot over the plate, goes from 2 on, none out, to 1 out and nobody on.
Absolutely disgusting work from the “best umpires in the world” at the highest stage possible. pic.twitter.com/MpBT55iiJQ
Blue Buds 34 posted that “Mark Wegner should never be allowed to umpire an MLB game ever again. A ball a foot over the plate goes from two on and none out to one out and nobody on. Absolutely disgusting.”
Greek Bearing Gifts posted a picture of Lt. Frank Drebin (played by Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen) of Naked Gun fame with the words “the man behind the plate.”
SCHNEIDER FURIOUS WITH CALL
Although it looked comical, no one in Blue Jays nation was laughing. Especially Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who went on Fox Sports between innings and tore a strip off the umpire. Everybody watching knew the Jays could have used that potential run. In a close game like that for all the marbles, every scoring chance matters. And every out. You want it to be a fair out.
bro what just happened? the home plate umpire made his call waaaayy too late. that’s so unfair for the Blue Jays
— Boston’s 10th Man (@Bostons10thMan) October 28, 2025
pic.twitter.com/fJmOeCKpGt
Somewhere in the mix-up, Varsho dropped his bat as if it were a ball as Bo Bichette, who was on first base, starting trotting to second. The problem was it was called a ball and the Dodgers threw to first to pick off Bichette.
It was a weird play.
“Very delayed call, very deliberate,” Schneider told Fox Sports, adding he told the umpire to not delay so long and let the players decide the game.
BLUE JAYS FANS AT DODGER STADIUM
But across Canada and the U.S., Blue Jays fans were in agreement with Schneider. You could hear the estimated 2,000 Blue Jays fans at Dodger Stadium groan. My friend Noah Godfrey is at the game and said the Jays fans are doing their best to cheer against a stadium packed with tens of thousands of Dodgers fans.
Singer Justin Bieber was there too, sporting a Jays jersey alongside wife Hailey.
“Let’s go, Blue Jays,” you could hear once in a while from the crowd. And the Jays fans certainly reacted when the umpire made this crazy call. But not as loudly as the rest of the country watching on TV or listening on the radio did.
Although most agree Bichette made a mistake and should have been more careful and verified it was a ball before heading to second, this was a big blunder by the ump.
STUNNING CALL
“It’s not something I have ever seen before,” Chris Leroux said on the radio broadcast with Ben Shulman. And this is a guy from Montreal who pitched for the Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees.
It was an odd play. Everybody seemed to know that was a ball except for Wegner.
It’s hard enough playing against the Dodger never mind having to play the umpires as well. pic.twitter.com/9dtG6pGEr5
— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) October 28, 2025
“It’s hard enough playing against the Dodgers never mind having to play against the umpires as well,” Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley posted to X.
It ended up being one heck of a baseball game in what is a classic World Series that seems destined to go deep. Hopefully it’s not decided by the umpires.
But one thing the call seemed to do was fire up the Jays as they briefly took the lead with some gritty play and a homer by Alejandro Kirk.
That’s one thing about a ball hit out of the park: It doesn’t matter what the umpire thinks of it.
