Watch: Seiya Suzuki Victimized by Worst Foul Tip Call Ever
For whatever reason, Seiya Suzuki had been victimized by more balls called strikes than any other MLB player over the three previous seasons. The thought was that implementing ABS would therefore grant him a disproportionate advantage, which certainly hasn’t been the case to this point in the season. As he fights through a prolonged slump, Suzuki is putting up the worst numbers of his Cubs tenure.
But that might not be enough for the arbiters of MLB’s rules. Not content just to see him struggle, umpires appear to be seeking out new ways to hose Suzuki now that they can’t make egregious strike calls. Or can they? With the Cubs leading 7-2 in the top of the 9th on Thursday, Suzuki checked his swing on an 85 mph sweeper that landed out of the zone for ball three.
Except that home plate umpire Dan Bellino ruled that Suzuki had foul-tipped the ball. Take a look for yourself, but my estimate has him missing it by maybe 9-10 inches.
Ump makes baffling foul tip call against Seiya Suzuki#Cubs pic.twitter.com/6j8Wr1bE9C
— Carter Lowe ?? (@cjlowebadgers) May 29, 2026
Though the at-bat really didn’t matter as the Cubs went on to win by that same score, stuff like this just can’t happen when we’ve got all the technology to correct it. I see no reason why certain calls are left to the umpires’ discretion, especially when they’re so easy to get right. Oh well, on to the next game.
