Astros' Geoff Blum Calls Out Umpires After Thrilling Victory Against Padres

After Grae Kessinger made a great diving stop on a ground ball and passed it to Jeremy Peña for the final out in the Houston Astros' 4-3 win over the Padres on Tuesday night, broadcaster Geoff Blum had strong feelings about the umpires.

Blum, who works for Space City Home Network, said, “The Astros have every right to complain, but they won this game despite the umpiring and against a good Padres team.”

It was a tough night for the umpires, led by Brennan Miller. Both teams were unhappy with the calls. Jose Altuve even took off his shoe to show that he had fouled a pitch off his foot, which got him ejected by Miller. Meanwhile, Jurickson Profar argued that he hadn’t been hit by a pitch and should stay in the batter’s box during a crucial moment in the 10th inning.

After the game, the broadcast team returned from a break wearing sunglasses, calling it “Astros After Dark” since the game ended just before midnight in Houston. Blum joked, “My eyes are burning from watching some of the officiating” while wearing his shades.

Before the bottom of the 10th inning, Blum and his partner, Kalas, tried to recap the crazy game, which included a five-minute delay while umpires checked the rules about whether pitcher Josh Hader could reset the pitch clock with a runner on base.

Blum expressed frustration, saying, “The officiating doesn’t seem to know the rules.”

Things got even more confusing when Miller called Profar hit by a pitch, even though both the Astros and Profar argued he hadn’t been hit. Profar wanted to continue batting instead.

Blum questioned Miller’s decision, saying, “I’m not sure where Brennan Miller’s at right now.” Replays showed the pitch missed Profar, but the call stood, upsetting everyone, including the broadcasters. Kalas exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” while Blum called it “a joke.”

Later, when pitcher Héctor Neris threw a pitch that went inside on Manny Machado, Kalas sarcastically said, “He did not call that a hit by pitch. Ball one.”

In the postgame discussion, Kalas suggested that this was the wildest game they’ve experienced in their eight years calling Astros games together. Blum added, “If this turns into a World Series matchup, I have one request: I don’t want this umpiring crew!”