Mics Caught Notoriously Bad MLB Ump Admitting He Got a Call Wrong

Admitting when one is wrong is not easy, especially for some MLB umpires.

And to his credit, that's exactly what home-plate umpire Laz Diaz did during the New York Mets' 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

In the bottom of the ninth inning with no outs, Red Sox phenom Kristian Campbell was at the plate facing Mets reliever Edwin Diaz. With the count 1-and-1, Campbell took a slider at the knees on the outer half of the plate. For all intents and purposes, it looked to be a ball.

But Diaz called it a strike, leading Campbell to literally jump into the air in frustration at the call. Moments later, broadcast mics picked up Diaz immediately owning up to the mistake while speaking directly to Campbell.

"That's on me, Kristian," Diaz said. "Hey, that's on me."

Campbell went on to draw a walk and then the Red Sox were set down 1-2-3 to end the game.

In terms of Umpire Scorecards's accuracy metric, Diaz grades out as MLB's fourth-worst caller of balls and strikes in 2025, and he has routinely ranked on the lower end of the precision spectrum over the last few big league seasons. In short, he's no Mark Ripperger.

Being wrong is one thing. Being wrong and continuing to insist one was right is utter foolishness. But being wrong and having the gumption to admit it, especially when an entire broadcast of viewers can hear you, is a respect-earning move by Diaz.

More MLB on Sports Illustrated