Several factors affect the outcome of Major League Baseball games. The wealth of knowledge and statistics truly pulls back the curtain on what makes teams good, bad or possibly unlucky. The Philadelphia Phillies have received a lot of that bad luck when it comes to umpire calls, especially when it comes to the strike zone.
A lot of Phillies fans watch the games, and like the players, they take note of how the home plate umpire's strike zone looks on any given day. Although there's a widely standardized zone, umpires have their own unique zone with which they operate day-to-day.
Phillies fans see how bad the calls can sometimes get, but it's tough to get a gauge of how it compares to the rest of baseball if you exclusively watch the Phillies. As it turns out, the Phillies have actually been one of the least lucky teams in baseball. As baseball fans know, one bad call can seriously alter the course of any game.
Luck has not been in Phillies' favor when it comes to home plate umpires in 2025
One game that really flustered Phillies fans recently was last week's game against the New York Mets on Aug. 26. That game resulted in numerous misses by home plate umpire Willie Traynor, most of which came in big moments against the Phillies.
That game ended up easily favoring the Mets when it was all said and done, according to Umpire Scorecards. No one from the Phillies' dugout was happy, and that's been a common theme throughout this season.
Umpire: Willie Traynor
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) August 27, 2025
Final: Phillies 5, Mets 6#RingTheBell // #LGM#PHIvsNYM // #NYMvsPHI
More stats for this ump 👇https://t.co/3v9GDDjuee pic.twitter.com/Ll5AQ3eWs2
Umpire Scorecards grades the home plate umpires for every game, looking at accuracy, consistency and how the calls influence the game.
According to Umpire Scorecards, the Phillies rank 26th in total favorability with -11.57 runs for the season. The Miami Marlins are dead last in favorability with -14.33, while the San Francisco Giants have the best with 20.96. Perhaps the numerous times spent yelling at the TV, questioning umpires' decision-making skills, have in fact been warranted.
It's when poor umpire performances combine with situations like when Juan Soto was granted a late time out against Jesús Luzardo that the frustration begins to boil over. According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, that got Luzardo ejected after he had just completed his outing.
Umpires make their way around the league and do play at all the different ball parks. They call all those games too, but for some reason, the Phillies have continuously gotten the short end of the stick. It's also why the initiative of the automated ball-strike system has gained so much traction over time, per MLB.com's Jason Foster.
Whether they have gotten the best person who calls the strike zone perfectly or someone who makes it up as they go, the Phillies have battled through yet another obstacle. There's no way to influence what the umpires are doing, nor is there a way to fix it, yet.