In chaotic Red Sox inning, umpire admits to forgetting count, preventing Brayan Bello strikeout
HOUSTON — Home plate umpire Mark Wegner acknowledged that he lost track of the count during a fifth-inning at-bat in the Red Sox’ 9-2 loss to the Astros on Tuesday. Sox starter Brayan Bello got Astros right fielder Cam Smith to swing and miss at three straight pitches. But Wegner thought the third whiff made the count 1-2, preventing a strikeout and extending the inning.
Bello eventually walked Smith on nine pitches and then manager Alex Cora removed the 26-year-old righty at 92 pitches with Boston down 5-1. “I just watched the video,” Wegner told a pool reporter. “I didn’t know what happened until I came in here and apparently I somehow didn’t count the second swinging one because I said the count was 1 and 2.
It was actually strike three. Had anybody caught it, we can always go and call replay and check the count. I’ve never done that before.
I’m not happy about it. Just made a mistake. ” Nobody with the Red Sox questioned the count after the third swinging strike.
“No one on the field said a word,” Wegner said. Smith was at the plate with runners at the corners and two outs. On the second swinging strike, Astros baserunner Joey Loperfido stole second base.