Dodgers Announcer Calls Umpire C.B. Bucknor 'Absolutely And Arrogantly Awful' After Missed Calls

You'd think in the post-Angel Hernandez era that the time of prolifically bad umpiring would finally be coming to an end. But that vastly underestimates just how bad Major League umpires are, how proud they are of being bad, and how powerful their union is when it comes to protecting them.

The latest example being C.B. Bucknor, who's consistently one of baseball's worst umpires. And as most bad umpires are, he is arrogant about his awful calls.

On Wednesday night in Anaheim in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the home Angels, Bucknor put on yet another display of spectacular incompetence, particularly in the top of the first inning. Bucknor's calls to the leadoff hitter were so bad that the Dodgers announcing team of Stephen Nelson and Eric Karros were already incredulous at what they were seeing.

Bucknor took it upon himself to end the top of the first inning by calling an obvious ball four to Dodgers hitter Alex Freeland a strike. One of two missed calls in that same at-bat which, had they been correctly called, would have loaded the bases. Bucknor though, wasn't about to let the opportunity to be terrible pass him up.

Predictably, his umpire scoreboard was awful. Over a run of benefit for the Angels, below average accuracy, 19 missed calls, and a woeful 84% called strike accuracy. 

And one Dodgers announcer let him have it on social media afterward.

SAN DIEGO - Home plate umpire CB Bucknor looks on during the third inning of the game between the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox at Petco Park on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

CB Bucknor Deserves The Criticism

Nelson responded to a post on left-wing social media network Bluesky complimenting him for his restraint in not calling Bucknor out for being one of the worst umpires in baseball.

"It's unsaid because it's just known," Nelson replied. "He's absolutely and arrogantly awful. Every time you see him on a crew, your heart drops because you know games will be severely impacted."

Wednesday's game was severely impacted.

Bucknor's calls in the first inning cost the Dodgers a baserunner, against a struggling Kyle Hendricks who couldn't throw strikes. Had Freeland walked, as he should have considering Hendricks threw five balls and one strike, the Angels would have been forced into an extremely difficult decision. Leave him in to face another hitter, having already thrown 38 pitches, allowing three runs, and walking the bases loaded, with Ohtani looming on deck. Or take him out and be thrown into an unexpected bullpen game.

Instead, Bucknor bailed them out with his atrocious missed calls, and the Angels were able to battle their way back to an eventual win. A one-run win. After getting a run of benefit from Bucknor's awful performance.

When the umpires complain about the advent of computer strike zones, they have no one else to blame. If they weren't so excited, and yes, arrogant, about their poor performance it wouldn't be necessary. But that's exactly how they are. And they should be called out for it.