"Angel Hernandez is gone so we find the next one" "At least the stabbing part was cute" - Fans lay into Laz Diaz after botching several calls

Although Laz Diaz is one of MLB's longest-tenured umpire, that does not mean that he is beyond error. On Friday, several fans were taken aback after Diaz missed not one or two, but fourteen calls in his capacity as home plate umpire.

"Umpire Laz Diaz missed 14 calls in the Braves Phillies game, including the largest miss of the day on a called strikeout of Edmundo Sosa that missed by 4.68 inches. He also stabbed the bat boy. #Phillies #Braves" - Umpire Auditor

The game in question was the series opener between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. Several balls that landed well outside or below the strike zone were called as strikes, including a ball that was several inches outside against Philadelphia infielder Edmundo Sosa.

The performance has sparked reaction from fans, who were not impressed:

Some even went as far as to compare Laz Diaz to Angel Hernandez, who announced his retirement after a quarter-decade earlier this season. Known as the "worst umpire in baseball", Hernandez made plenty of enemies around MLB for his infamous missed calls, including former Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who claimed Hernandez "needs to find another job."

Other comments were as follows:

"I remember his legendarily bad performance in the 2021 ALCS like it was yesterday"

"At least the stabbing part was cute"

"They also showed a great clip of him attempting to drink water and missing most of it!"

Born in Miami to a Cuban family, Laz Diaz has been an MLB umpire since 2000. In his 25 years in the role, the 61 year-old has officiated three World Series. According to Umpire Auditor, Diaz' 93% accuracy rate is well below the league average.

"He was god awful"

"Laz needs to be the next one to go"

"Dude was the top graduate with high honors at the Angel Hernandez school of umpiring"

In May, Diaz' colleague Charlie Ramos came under similar fire after he called St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar out on strikes on three straight pitches out of the strikezone. Moreover, the recent succession of botched calls has prompted some fans to call for the introduction of electronic officiating in professional baseball.

Laz Diaz misses provoke further discussions on "Robo-Umps"

Every time a game transpires with questionable calls, the discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of so-called "Robo-Umps" to solve potential errors.

While we may be no closer to an end to the squabble between proponents and traditionalists, at least showings such as this one from Laz Diaz will keep those vigorous discussions alive.