Elly De La Cruz was denied a fair at-bat on Sunday, drawing sharp criticism from the Cincinnati Reds broadcast toward the home plate umpire.
During the first inning of the Reds’ game against the Houston Astros, De La Cruz was called out on strikes following a questionable decision by umpire C.B. Bucknor, who ruled a low pitch near the ankles as a strike. The call stunned both his manager and teammates.
Before that, TJ Friedl and Matt McLain had struck out swinging against Astros starter Ronel Blanco. De La Cruz came up with two outs and worked a 2–0 count before taking two sliders for strikes. On a 2–2 count, Blanco threw a changeup low and inside, which Bucknor called strike three.
C. B. Bucknor just rang up Elly De La Cruz on this pitch.
We agree with Gavin Lux's assessment of the call.#Reds
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) May 11, 2025
A video clip shows the moment, including Reds broadcaster John Sadak subtly highlighting Bucknor’s role in the call by simply mentioning his name—enough to convey his disapproval. Reds infielder Gavin Lux is also seen shouting at Bucknor in frustration.
The call effectively took the bat out of the hands of one of Cincinnati’s top hitters. De La Cruz, who already had the second-most strikeouts in the league entering the game with 51, saw his total rise to 52. In 2024, he led the majors with 218 strikeouts.
The Astros jumped out to an early 3–0 lead.
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