St. Louis Cardinals Manager Hurls Fiery Criticism At MLB Umpire For 'Lack of Class'

One umpire's cold shoulder sparked an investigation by MLB.

On Saturday, during the Cardinals' exhibition game against the Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol went to MLB umpire C.B. Bucknor to swap lineup cards at home plate and, allegedly, was left hanging after the manager reached out to shake Bucknor's hand.

Marmol got a fair shake from umps Angel Hernandez, Ron Kulpa and Carlos Torres, so the lack of regard from Bucknor came off as petulant.

Marmol was left sore after the 3-2 loss and called out Bucknor for a "lack of class."

"I went into that game pretty certain of my thoughts on him as an umpire," Marmol told the media. "They weren’t very good, and it shows his lack of class as a man. I chose my words wisely. I just don’t think he’s good at his job, and it just showed his lack of class as a man."

The shady move by Bucknor stems from a longstanding rift between the two after they exchanged verbal spars over a strike call in August 2022. Bucknor had called a strike on Cards third baseman Nolan Arenado and Marmol furiously objected.

During the exchange, Marmol told Bucknor to essentially hang it up after the 'bad' call. In response, Bucknor called out Marmol for his limited career in St. Louis, have only been on the job for over a year. The 60-year-old Bucknor has been an MLB ump since 1996.

Oliver Marmol and CB Bucknor get testy. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)

A day later, MLB responded by announcing an investigation looking into the bad blood that surfaced Saturday, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

An MLB spokesperson addressed the situation, "We are aware of Mr. Marmol's comments, and the matter is under review."