Ump show is taking over Saturday's Cubs-Tigers game with multiple egregious calls

Looking to bounce back after a tough series-opening loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, the Chicago Cubs aren't getting much help from home plate umpire Doug Eddings. The 25-year MLB veteran is catching flak from the visiting dugout at every turn - and with good reason.

It's not as if Eddings has missed a call here and there. The misses have been pretty egregious. Let's break them down, starting with this checked swing, called third strike against Kyle Tucker to end the top of the third.

Not even asking for help from the third base umpire is indefensible on a checked swing like this but, hey, we're all here for the ump show, right?

Fellow MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong got in on the fun in the very next inning, going down looking for the second straight at-bat, and he let Eddings hear about it this time. But don't worry, he came up in the top of the seventh and smacked a leadoff solo shot to right field, so that's a little bit of redemption for the All-Star hopeful.

Eddings set down veteran Ian Happ on a pitch well outside of the zone, as well, and the list goes beyond that. It was just an awful performance from the home plate umpire, to the point he was actually trending on X (always a good sign) and drawing the ire of sports writers online.

Of course, Eddings' antics come on the heels of this week's news: MLB will propose an automated ball-strike challenge system for 2026. According to The Athletic (subscription required), commissioner Rob Manfred has the votes he needs to get it instituted next year. We got a sneak peek at it at the big-league level in select Cactus and Grapefruit League games this spring, but performances like what we all bore witness to Saturday only further reinforce how important it is to have this oversight on umpires.

Thankfully, at least as of the time I'm writing this up, the Cubs have overcome Eddings' shortcomings, smacking a series of home runs to carry a lead into the late innings over Detroit. A win would set up a rubber match Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. Hopefully, that game is more about the players on the field and less about the missed calls behind the plate.