State of the Hogs: Big series finale deserved better man in blue

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn argues with umpire Seth Buckminster after Buckminster ejected him during the second inning of a game against LSU on Sunday, April 9, 2017, in Fayetteville.

— There are times I think I want replay for balls and strikes calls in baseball.

The game's purists I'm around generally don't agree. They think the human element is part of what makes the game fun.

It wasn't fun for the Arkansas baseball team as it battled both LSU and home plate umpire Seth Buckminster on Sunday. The Tigers squeaked out a 2-0 decision, thanks in part to Buckminster's strange strike zone that seemed to favor the visitor's freshman pitcher.

LSU starter Eric Walker handcuffed the Razorbacks on four hits in a 119-pitch complete game that featured a sinking fast ball that was in Buckminster's strike zone from start to finish. A pitch around the level of the ankles was good enough for Buckminster, if Walker threw it, but not so much for either of the Arkansas pitchers, Josh Alberius or Jake Reindl.

Generally, I don't make umpires the story. But Buckminster should be just fine with a story written about him.

He might be accustomed to it after losing time as an MLB umpire following a series of reversed calls via MLB's replay system. He's been there, done that.

Of course, no replays are done on balls and strikes. Coaches and umpires are not supposed to question those calls. It can get you an ejection, but not generally on the first protest.

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn found out that protocol isn't actually protocol in the SEC with Buckminster at the end of the second inning. Van Horn was ejected without a warning after he hollered from the dugout when Jared Gates was called out on a low strike to end the inning. It was the third called strike three against the Hogs in the first six outs.

The Hogs had already had their fill of Buckminster earlier in the week. It was clear they didn't like his strike zone when he was behind the plate for the UA game against Grand Canyon started Tuesday and finished Wednesday. I guess three days of Buckminster in five days is too many.

Van Horn covered what gets him going about umpires at the start of the week at the monthly Swatter's Club luncheon. From the dugout, the one thing that's clear without seeing a replay is the height of the pitch. Coaches get a pretty good view of where the ball cuts across the batter's legs. If it's lower than the knees, they see that.

“We can't see if it's in or out,” Van Horn said Monday. “But we know if it's low or not. We can see that. The catcher has a sign he gives us if it's over the plate. So we know.”

It was clear that Arkansas catcher Grant Koch, one of those called out Sunday, was frustrated from the get-go. He had the best view of what Buckminster was giving to the UA pitchers. He did not come to the interview room after the game, but he showed with his body language in the late innings with Reindl as his pitcher. He didn't think Buckminster was giving the Hogs the same strike zone as LSU.

Van Horn was careful with his words after the game. He could get suspended or fined if he went too far. But he left little doubt what he saw during his time after the ejection when he was watching the game on TV and saw all of the replays, those that proved Buckminster wrong so often in the major leagues.

“It was pretty amazing both ways,” Van Horn said. “I got a pretty good view (watching on TV).”

It was a view that confirmed what he'd seen from the dugout.

“We kept telling him that it was low,” Van Horn said. “He argued back. He didn't give me a warning and that's the protocol. He's a new umpire to the league. We've had him a couple of times. I can't say a lot, but there's some attitude there."

Maybe Buckminster is confused. He's bounced around between MLB and minor leagues the last couple of years. There are stats on the Internet that show he was the MLB umpire with the most reversed calls in 2014.

The stats from MLB indicated that he had two calls overturned in the same inning and three in the same game during a four-day span that year. That was in two different games. I would have overturned about 20 of his ball and strike calls if given an option based on the TV replays shown Sunday.

Buckminster was a part-time umpire at the MLB level in 2014. He had 16 challenges and 11 reversals before the All-Star Game that year. It's nice to lead the major leagues, but not in that category. He was bumped down to the minor leagues in 2015 and is working SEC games, for now.

After seeing his work this week, I'd be surprised if he made it through the year. It was sad to watch this week. Baum Stadium fans know good baseball when they see it. They gave Buckminster the boo bird treatment from start to finish Sunday. It's sad to see what was a great series for two days turn into that kind of ugliness, but I don't blame the fans.

It's common place for fans to figure out the names of the umpires. They knew to yell at "Seth” all the way Sunday.

Buckminster didn't beat Arkansas on Saturday night when an 8-1 lead went down the drain because of poor pitching and defense. Van Horn will remember that about the weekend more than Buckminster.

It was clear that the play of the two shortstops in critical spots was a huge difference then. LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson made several sparkling plays in Saturday's game – the biggest a stop of Carson Shaddy's one-hop drive with two runners aboard in the eighth – and added to it with more great defense on Sunday when the Tigers turned three double plays.

Then, there was the lone really bad play this year by Arkansas shortstop Jax Biggers that could have ended Saturday's game. He rushed a throw on a hard shot by Robertson that resulted in a high throw for a two-run error that should have ended the game.

“We are pretty good,” Van Horn said. “We just didn't win the series. We should have won two of three. We can't let a game slip away like we did last night.

“What we have to tell ourselves, we have to hope we can steal one somewhere down the road in the SEC. I'll keep telling our team we need to steal one.

“We played good this weekend. We are every bit as good as LSU. I do give credit to Walker. He stuck it to us. And they made some great plays on defense, especially the third baseman and the shortstop.”

Walker did stick it to the Hogs. So did Seth Buckminster.

I hope I never see that umpire again, unless it's doing slow-pitch softball at Lake Fayetteville. That should be his next stop.