CB Bucknor is experiencing a tough week.
During Wednesday’s game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers, umpire CB Bucknor took a foul ball to the mask and had to be helped off the field, capping off a particularly challenging week for one of baseball’s most controversial umpires.
The issues began with a notable example of MLB’s new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System adding drama to baseball. This is the first year the robot umpire system allows hitters, catchers, and pitchers to challenge balls and strikes. Each team gets two challenges per game, only losing one if it’s unsuccessful, discouraging frivolous reviews.
In Saturday’s game between the Red Sox and Reds, Eugenio Suarez successfully challenged Bucknor on back-to-back strike calls using the ABS system, even though he ultimately grounded out. Despite the Reds hitting two home runs, the loudest cheers were for the successful ABS challenges.
Bucknor had more calls overturned that night. Out of eight ABS challenges, six were successful, surpassing the league overturn rate of 55 percent. Bucknor’s rate stands at 78 percent.
Chad Whitson’s experience with ABS went worse when seven challenges in a Yankees-Giants game were overturned. However, Bucknor has been the least accurate umpire over the last five years, according to UmpScorecards.
Bucknor made another questionable call on Tuesday, calling Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers out for missing first base on a groundball, a call overturned on review. This call was so clearly wrong that both managers laughed from across the field.
Teams must adapt to the new challenge system, but umpires will face the greatest impact as they adjust to a more consistent strike zone. Umpires like CB Bucknor, known for a subjective view of the strike zone, are in for a challenging 2026.