Strike Two?

FiveThirtyEight.com has a year end post on the 45 best and weirdest charts they made. There are many great examples, including the family tree connecting a single sire to every horse in the Kentucky Derby:

But my favorite is the clear baseball analysis showing that in extra innings umpires, like the rest of us, just want the damn game to end, calling borderline balls and strikes in whatever way will end the game quicker.

On Diekman’s fifth pitch, it appeared that Marisnick had earned a walk. “This is not a strike, this is off the plate,” ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza opined as the networks’ K-Zone showed the pitch a few inches outside.

Home plate umpire Adam Hamari disagreed, however, calling the pitch strike two. Marisnick struck out swinging on the following pitch to end the game, and the outfielder slammed his bat in disgust.

I get it. It’s late, we all want to get to bed…