In a dramatic 7-6 comeback victory against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Giants faced a challenging strike zone from home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. The subpar strike zone was evident to both the Giants and viewers, and it was later confirmed by two umpire evaluators after the game.
Gonzalez missed 27 calls during the game, while Umpire Scorecards had him at 26 missed calls and a plus-1.19 run expectancy for the Cubs. The most impactful calls all went against the Giants, leading Manager Bob Melvin to his breaking point when Gonzalez called a third strike on Matt Chapman in the eighth inning. This led to Melvin’s ejection from the game after expressing his frustration.
Despite this setback, Melvin acknowledged the challenges of umpiring and emphasized the need to stay focused on the game regardless of the calls being made. Gonzalez’s inconsistent strike zone was not surprising given his track record as one of MLB’s least consistent home plate umpires. However, even with adversity from umpiring, the Giants demonstrated resilience and determination to come out on top in a hard-fought contest against the Cubs. Key hits from Patrick Bailey and Thairo Estrada led them to their 36th win of the season.
