Ryan Blakney is a second-year Major League Baseball umpire still trying to make a name for himself. Or perhaps not trying to make a name for himself, since the best umpire is one no one notices.
He suffered from a bit of an itchy trigger finger while working the plate during Sunday’s Houston Astros-Seattle Mariners game, ringing up Luis Valbuena on strike two.
Blakney immediately realized his mistake and held up two fingers to indicate he knew the real count before a stunned Valbuena could launch into a full protest. The at-bat would eventually end in a base on balls.
With complaints about the length of games, perhaps the young umpire has stumbled on a great way to speed things up. A few premature punchouts here and there could really make a difference, especially if hitters aren’t paying attention.
from The Big Lead http://ift.tt/2an3kjC
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