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Umpire's Expanded Strike Zone in Mets-Phillies Game 1 Has MLB World in Uproar

The balls and strikes called in Game 1 have emerged as one of the biggest storylines of the NLDS.

Tom Dierberger

The Mets defeated the Brewers in the wild-card round to advance to the NLDS and face the Phillies.
The Mets defeated the Brewers in the wild-card round to advance to the NLDS and face the Phillies. / Fox Sports
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Game 1 of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets started out with a bang, as slugger Kyle Schwarber had the sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park on its feet with a leadoff homer in the first inning.

As the game has progressed, however, the balls and strikes called behind home plate emerged as one of the series' biggest storylines.

Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher significantly expanded the strike zone at times on Saturday, perhaps dealing with some shadow issues on the field as Game 1 began at 4:08 p.m. ET. Strikes called favored pitchers on both teams, but one call went viral for costing the Mets a scoring opportunity in the fourth inning.

With one out and two runners on base, Mets infielder Jose Iglesias thought he worked the count to 3-0 after taking a pitch inside. But it was called a strike. Two pitches later, Iglesias grounded out into an inning-ending double play.

That call appeared like it was going to haunt the Mets' offense throughout Game 1 until they broke out for five runs in the top of the eighth inning.

MLB fans—neutral observers as well as those rooting for the Mets and Phillies—weighed in on social media about the strike zone:

The Mets and Phillies will return to the field for Game 2 at 4:08 p.m. ET Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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