C.B. Bucknor would’ve made Angel Hernandez proud.

Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Umpire CB Bucknor (54) stands on the field during the first inning of the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Sports betting has become an epidemic across Major League Baseball. The 2024 MLB season began with Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, losing his job and eventually pleading guilty in court after stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani’s bank account.

David Fletcher, Ohtani’s former teammate, is under investigation for betting. Former MLB infielder Tucapita Marcano and four others were disciplined for betting on baseball as well.

The latest individual to get caught up in a gambling scandal is umpire Pat Hoberg who denies betting on baseball but is facing discipline from MLB.

C.B. Bucknor hasn’t been involved in any gambling situations himself, which comes as a bit of a surprise after looking back at a game he potentially ruined between the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets.

CB Bucknor has putrid performance that Angel Hernandez can be proud of in Saturday’s Mets-Padres game

MLB fans rejoiced when Angel Hernandez finally stepped away from the game, expecting that umpiring was going to be much better for it. Turns out, since C.B. Bucknor is still umpiring games, things aren’t where MLB fans want them to be quite yet.

Bucknor had an Angel Hernandez-esque performance in Saturday’s Mets-Padres game that absolutely deserves to be scrutinized, especially considering a Mets player actually tried to help him.

Mets outfielder DJ Stewart asked Bucknor to dust the plate during his at-bat in the third inning so the umpire would have an easier time calling balls and strikes. It turns out, little could be done for Bucknor who continued his season-long struggles calling balls and strikes.

According to this Umpire Auditor tweet, Bucknor missed nine calls before the third inning even came to an end. He wound up missing 20 overall, which is a brutal number.

Padres starter Adam Mazur walked six batters in just 3.2 innings pitched, and that was thanks in large part to Bucknor. Sure, Mazur should’ve thrown more strikes, but the most impactful missed call was a ball Mazur threw that should’ve been called a strike.

That pitch should’ve struck J.D. Martinez out looking, but it was called a ball. The 36-year-old wound up launching the next pitch over the wall in right-center field which scored what wound up being the game-winning run.

San Diego lost the game by four runs and managed only one run and two hits against a struggling Jose Quintana, so this isn’t the only reason that they lost, but it’s frustrating for Padres fans nonetheless. Perhaps if Martinez hadn’t gotten the benefit of the doubt there, this Mets team that was struggling to score runs despite all of Mazur’s walks wouldn’t have found a way to win this game.

Umpiring can be a thankless job, but Bucknor deserves all of the criticism he is getting for Saturday’s showing, much like a player would if he was this bad.