Last Updated: October 2nd, 2026 by Matthew Brown
There is an old adage in baseball that a good game for an umpire is one where they basically go unnoticed. An umpire never really wants to be famous, because the only reasons they can be remembered are bad reasons.
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Whether it's egregiously bad calls, poor judgment, or an attitude that takes over the game, the umpires on this list are infamous for the way they have stained baseball history.
12. Ángel Hernández: The Patron Saint of Bad Calls
Probably the most well-known umpire in recent history, Ángel Hernández has become synonymous with bad calls in baseball. It got so bad that he had to sue the MLB for not assigning him playoff games.
Needless to say, his consistently poor performance led the judge to side with the league. I don't think I have to add much of my own experience watching this umpire, as his reputation precedes him here.
11. Joe West: The Cowboy Who Couldn’t See Straight
Joe West might be one of the more famous umpires of all time. His commanding personality made it easy for fans and teams to notice him at a random game. He even made a cameo appearance in the 1988 movie The Naked Gun.
This only supports my personal opinion of Joe West that he too frequently took over the game and made it about himself. I think that's the exact opposite of what an umpire's job is.
10. C.B. Bucknor: Baseball’s Walking Strike Zone
While everyone talked about Ángel Hernández, I always personally thought that C.B. Bucknor was a more consistent offender of bad umpiring. I always like to say that the worst strike zone that I noticed before the ABS Challenge System was Bucknor's.
Other than that, there have been so many different types of calls that he has missed, and I'm sure you can learn a little bit more about the rules of baseball if you watch a video compilation of Bucknor's mishaps.
9. Laz Díaz: Consistently Inconsistent
For some reason, I have remembered the name Laz Diaz as an umpire's name more prominently than any other umpire throughout my time watching baseball. That probably means that I've seen him make many bad calls.
While I can't point out any specific calls that he's made, I do remember him having a boisterous strike-three call while having one of the most inconsistent zones in the league.
8. Phil Cuzzi: The Human Head-Scratcher
I don't know if I can pinpoint any memories of Phil Cuzzi behind the plate having a questionable strike zone. The fact that I can remember his name must mean that he had some memorable missed calls away from home plate. The most infamous was back in the 2009 ALDS.
Joe Mauer had a fly ball down the left field line that landed fair, but was called foul by Cuzzi.
The worst part is, Cuzzi was even closer than usual to make that call because the playoffs add two more umpires to be down each outfield line, so he was staring right at it from about 20 feet away and still cost the Twins extra bases.
7. Manny Gonzalez: The Master of Missed Moments
Sometimes bad days are the ones that are most remembered. I don't think Manny Gonzalez is all that bad, but there are some bad games that he has been known for.
Working more games on the East Coast, a quick search has found some bad strike zones involving the Red Sox and Blue Jays. He also has had his fair share of confrontations with Yankee manager Aaron Boone.
6. Bob Davidson: “Balkin’ Bob” and His Parade of Mistakes
I think a lot of teams will have memories of certain umpires, and they'll talk about them in the clubhouse. It can even go as far as giving nicknames to the ones they dislike the most.
When a nickname gets so well-known that the general public is aware of it, that has to be a sign. For Bob Davidson, he had a penchant for calling balks. For newer or more casual baseball fans, a balk is… well, whatever Bob Davidson wanted it to be.
5. Eric Gregg: Large Presence, Larger Misses
I had to do a quick Google search to see who exactly Eric Gregg was. All I needed to be reminded of was one game. Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS.
Even though I liked that Florida Marlins team that eventually won the World Series, the strike zone from Gregg definitely helped them get there.
Now, Liván Hernández was a good pitcher, but he was looking like a wizard, throwing strikes that were in the other batter's box. He struck out 15 Braves, and I would bet that every single one of them saw a strike that should not have been.
4. Jerry Meals: Mr. “Are You Sure?”
There are some calls that are just all-timers. There are some games that are all-timers too. For 19 innings, Jerry Meals had to be the home plate umpire of a game between the Pirates and the Braves in 2011.
Clearly, he thought the game had gone on long enough, as he made one of the most memorable blown calls this century. It was a play at the plate where the runner was clearly out, but Meals said safe. It was calls like these that make me thankful for video review today.
3. Doug Eddings: The Strike Zone Shapeshifter
I've mentioned this before, but umpires who take over the game are the ones I dislike the most. Doug Eddings has done that more and more as the years have gone on.
His strike zone has historically been inconsistent, but I think it's his defense of it when confronted that has become a problem. Even during the current times of the ABS Challenge System, Eddings has given teams rough games to play through.
2. Ron Kulpa: The Hot-Headed Boss of the Plate
I know that a season can be long and fans can get excited about any umpire-manager confrontation, but Ron Kulpa made that happen a little too much.
His demeanor behind the plate could irk any team. I get that a game needs an authority who commands respect to control all of the different personalities on both sides, but when that authority becomes a personality itself, then that can be a problem.
1. Rob Drake: Drama in a Mask
Drama is not in the job description for a baseball umpire. Some bring more drama than others, but I feel like the worst umpires can make a baseball game seem like it's being played in a theater on Broadway.
Rob Drake has had his fair share of dust-ups with managers. They may not be as well-known as the rest on this list, but it's enough to make this list.
