Arr! Cardinals' Alec Burleson be banished from th' game, after ventin' his fury on th' umpire! Plundered calls caused a double play!
2023-07-21
Arr, ye scurvy knaves! The St. Louis Cardinals be wronged by the likes of umpire Ron Kulpa, who be makin' some questionable calls! Had it not been for his foul play, they'd be tyin' the game with a bases-loaded walk against those landlubber Chicago Cubs!
The St. Louis Cardinals had a tough season and their luck didn't improve when they faced the Chicago Cubs. In a crucial moment with the bases loaded and one out, Alec Burleson stepped up to pinch hit. The Cubs' pitcher, Michael Fulmer, threw six consecutive pitches out of the strike zone, but only the first three were called as balls by the umpire.Burleson was now facing a 3-0 count and needed just one more ball to tie the game. However, Fulmer's next pitch, which missed the outside corner, was called a strike. The following pitch was nowhere near the strike zone either.
In frustration, Fulmer threw an 87 mph cutter that Burleson believed was ball four, but umpire Ron Kulpa ruled it as a strike. This led to a full count and some words exchanged between Burleson and Kulpa.
With the strike zone now expanded, Fulmer threw a curveball low and away. Given the previous questionable calls, Burleson swung at the pitch, resulting in a soft contact ground ball to shortstop Nico Hoerner, who turned a double play.
Burleson was not pleased with the umpire's decisions and immediately began shouting at Kulpa from well beyond first base, which resulted in his ejection.
The game ended with the Cubs securing a 4-3 victory, while the Cardinals dropped to 44-54 for the season. The Cubs, on the other hand, improved to 46-51.