"What an absolute joke" - Fans blast MLB for assigning low-rated umpire Alfonso Marquez to Blue Jays vs Mariners ALCS Game 4

With a place in the World Series on the line, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners are currently battling it out in the ALCS.

With home field advantage, it was the Blue Jays that entered the series as slight favorites, but the Mariners now find themselves in the driving seat, leading the series 2-0 with the next three games set to take place at T-Mobile Park.

As each game has season-defining implications for both teams, one would assume MLB ensures only the highest rated umpires officiate these fixtures.

However, as popular baseball content page "The WARmonger" reported via X on Tuesday, umpire Alfonso Martinez, who is ranked 80th out of 83 in terms of correct call percentage this season, will take charge behind home plate in game four.

"83 umpires were behind the plate for 10+ games this season. Only three of them had a lower correct call % than Alfonso Márquez, he's ranked 80th. Alfonso Márquez will be the home plate umpire for Game 4 of the ALCS." the post read

Reacting to the news, several fans took shots at MLB.

"What an absolute joke of a f**in league man" a fan wrote "Only the best of the best umpire should be touching the field during playoff games. They should be evaluated all season and if they don’t have a certain level of accuracy, they shouldn’t get close to the field during the playoffs." another fan commented "In the playoffs the best teams continue on because of their performances. Can't say the same with the umps." another fan replied "How is this possible?" another fan responded "How is that even remotely okay?" another fan shared "This is insane. Wtf mlb. Figure it out." another fan posted

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Fans were also infuriated by umpire Doug Eddings' poor officiating in game two of the Blue Jays-Mariners ALCS

Much to the frustration of fans, poor officiating has already been a prevalent theme in the championship series between the Blue Jays and the Mariners. Doug Eddings, the home plate umpire for game two of the series on Monday, had a poor day at the office.

As reported by baseball content page "Umpire Auditor", the 57-year-old missed a total of 24 calls, which made Monday's fixture the worst called MLB playoff game since October 7, 2022, which was also called by Eddings.

In addition to the missed calls, his peculiar antics behind home plate also got on plenty of fans' nerves.

Edited by Raghav Mehta