MLB fans were furious after Max Fried’s clear strike was called a ball during Braves-Phillies

How was this called a ball and not a strike?!

The Atlanta Braves suffered one of the more maddening missed calls on a pitch you’ll see in a MLB game this season.

As he was pitching against Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos on Saturday in the bottom of the first inning, Braves ace Max Fried threw a clean pitch right into the middle of the strike zone that should’ve sent Castellanos to the bench and concluded the inning for Philly.

However, the umpire somehow called it a ball instead of a strike and left Castellanos at the plate to eventually give the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the first, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.

There are always debatable calls in baseball when it comes to the strike zone, but this is a bizarre whiff for the umpire that absolutely sets a sour tone for how balls and strikes will be called this year.

The Braves got the lead back in the second inning, but the team is still likely furious this Fried strike pitch didn’t count as it should’ve. They say winning is the best medicine, but this one will sting for a bit either way.

MLB fans did not like this call one bit.

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