The Worst Strike Call Ever

While America was watching Spike Albrecht and Luke Hancock, the Tampa Bay Rays lost on one of the most horrendous umpiring calls you'll ever see. Ben Zobrist was at the plate for the Rays in the bottom of the ninth, his team down a run. This two-out, full-count pitch was somehow called a strike, ending the game for the Rangers:



Come on. Seriously? Here's a list of people who knew that pitch was ball four.

1) The viewer; you have the benefit of multiple viewings and are presumably not blind.
2) The catcher, who makes literally no effort to even try and frame the pitch, and then begins walking towards the pitcher with the likely intention of hashing out their strategy against the next hitter.
3) The pitcher, Joe Nathan, who, having thrown the pitch, was the most biased person in that ballpark. Yet he clearly mutters something angrily to himself and raises his hand to his head in frustration, because the pitch was a BALL. Then he sees the strike call and awkwardly tries to convert that annoyed-head-touching motion into a victory fist-pump. Well played, Nathan. You're one smooth customer.
4) Rangers fans directly behind home plate. Even they know the pitch is a ball. Most don't react at all when the pitch is delivered; a few are even visibly frustrated or disappointed. Then the umpire makes his 'strike three' motion, and they all explode spontaneously, their joy doubled by the complete unexpectedness of the ridiculous call.
5) Ben Zobrist. Poor dude. He literally has no idea what just happened.
6) Pretty much everyone except the guy who went through vigorous training to correctly call balls and strikes.

Here's a better visual representation, with pitch #6 being the one in question:

If there's anything out there that could possibly make Zobrist and the Rays feel better, it's the reminder that this pitch thrown by Livan Hernandez was once called 'strike three,' too -- and it actually ended Game 5 of a 1997 playoff series against the Braves: