The Atlanta Braves only have themselves really to blame for losing their series to the Blue Jays this week. The offense only really showed up for the first game, Spencer Schwellenbach struggled, and some managerial decisions made things harder than they should have been. However, the final game in particular had a variable outside of the Braves control working against them with home plate umpire Bill Miller.
Complaining about umpires is a tale as old as time, but it does feel like they are getting worse as a group (or at least seem like it) as we get better data as to whether pitches are balls or strikes. On April 15 alone, incorrectly called a ball against a hitter with two strikes 28 times. That is not good and these are the types of calls that can change a game.
As a result, there has been a lot of momentum towards implementing an ABS challenge system to get some of these more egregious calls fixed. Braves fans were wishing such a system was in place this season as the home plate umpire had a night to forget.
Umpire: Bill Miller
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) April 17, 2025
Final: Braves 1, Blue Jays 3#BravesCountry // #LightsUpLetsGo#ATLvsTOR // #TORvsATL
More stats for this ump 👇https://t.co/Jd4v0Qsllu pic.twitter.com/tuFXuK8Phi
Home plate Bill Miller's performance in Braves game is a symptom of a larger problem
Again, the Braves lost the series against the Blue Jays, not the umpires. Atlanta struck out 19 times yesterday and while Miller certainly made things harder with his large strike zone that clearly benefitted Toronto, Braves hitters' approach in the game (or lack thereof) is the primary culprit.
That said, these sorts of games where umpires can get 10+% of balls and/or strikes wrong are becoming commonplace and that just isn't going to work. Fans can't become invested in the sport if the rules of the game are applied inconsistently and that has been the case for far too long now. The implementation of replay review has helped, but baseball as a sport has to start getting serious about getting balls and strikes right.
The ABS challenge system seems like it should hit the right note. It doesn't make umpires obsolete and adds a level of strategy to the game while using technology we have had for a while to start getting a lot more of these calls right. Unfortunately for the Braves, it just hadn't been implemented in time to help them against Toronto.