The St. Louis Cardinals’ tough season didn’t get any help from a plate umpire Friday.
With the bases loaded and one out in a run against the Chicago Cubs, Alec Burleson was called up to pinch hit.
Michael Fulmer threw six straight pitches out of the zone to Burleson, but only the first three were called balls.
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Alec Burleson of the St. Louis Cardinals is held without a single during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 28, 2023 in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Burleson faced a 3-0 count, needing just one more shot out of the zone to tie the game.
Fulmer’s next pitch was a 91 mph sinker that narrowly missed the outside corner, but was called a strike. And the next release was not close.
Fulmer then fired an 87 mph cutter that Burleson thought was ball four, but umpire Ron Kulpa ruled it a strike, prompting a full count and some talking from Burleson.
With the strike zone expanded several inches now, Fulmer threw a curveball low and far, and one can’t blame Burleson for fanning it given the previous two calls.
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. (Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports)
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Burleson made soft contact with shortstop Nico Hoerner, who turned a 6-6-3 double play.
Burleson was not happy.
Almost immediately after the inning ended, Burleson was yelling at Kulpa from well beyond first base, prompting an ejection.
«At 3-0, I thought he was borderline, and I asked him if it was a corner, and he said ‘Yeah, that’s the corner.’ To me, that means you won’t go any further (out) than that. And then (strike two). So, that forced me to swing 3-2,» Burleson said after the game. via MLB.com.
The Cubs defense buckled in the top of the ninth, coming out of a first-and-second jam for a 4-3 victory.
With the loss, St. Louis fell to 44-54 after being favored in spring training to win the NL Central for the second straight year.
Alec Burleson of the St. Louis Cardinals plays against the Cleveland Guardians during the fifth inning at Progressive Field on May 26, 2023 in Cleveland. (Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
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The Cubs improved to 46-51.