Hot mic hilarity: MLB umpire ridicules Marlins challenge, eats humble pie after 'heads up their a**es' call is overturned

It's been a difficult few years to be an MLB umpire, as the distance between them and fans, coaches, and players continues to grow. If MLB umps were looking to make friends with the Miami Marlins, they may need to do some damage control as a hot mic has Saturday night's crew in hot water.

In the 10th inning of Saturday's matchup between the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels, Miami manager Skip Schumaker decided to challenge an out call at home plate. The Marlins coaching staff believed that Angels catcher Matt Thaiss did not have his foot planted on home plate though the umpires called out the runner attempting to score, resulting in a double-play.

At this time, the Marlins decided to challenge the call, however, one of the umpire's microphones was inadvertently left on. This led to the entire stadium listening to the crew mocking the Marlins' decision and broadcasting it live to the entire stadium. The words "They got their heads up their ass," echoed through Marlins Park.

"Incredible umpire hot mic moment" - @JomboyMedia

The best part of the entire situation is the fact that the call was overturned upon further replay by the umpires. While fans may not always be excited about constant replays, the hysterical conclusion of the play made the extended break in the game worth it. The Marlins went on the win the game 8-5 thanks to Yuli Gurriel scoring on the challenged play.

"Hot mics caught this exchange between umpires during the Marlins game: “Miami is challenging the out call at home plate.” “Why would they challenge that?” “They’ve got their heads up their ass.” - @ShitBsbPlyrsSay

It remains to be seen if there will be any punishment for Jeff Nelson, the ump who called out the Miami Marlins for challenging the play call, however, his online backlash and mockery may be enough.

Fans have long called for robot umpires, but is there any possibility of that happening?

In short, yes that is a possibility for robot umps in the future of baseball. For the 2023 season, the MLB has implemented the use of automatic strike and ball calls in Triple-A, something that may improve the accuracy of every decision. While the play in question was not based on the strike zone, it may be a matter of time before umps are a thing of the past.

Many critics of some of the modern updates to baseball are based on the purity and nostalgia of the game, claiming that missed calls are simply part of baseball. However, given some of the egregious errors, most famously former Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's perfect game being ruined by ump Jim Joyce, it may be time to embrace change.

"OTD: Armando Galarraga. Jim Joyce. The 28-Out Perfect Game (2010)." - @BSMotorCity