Orioles broadcaster Jim Palmer scathingly rips umpire C.B. Bucknor after a terrible strike call

Jim Palmer was a Hall of Fame pitcher who has seen his fair share of good and not so good umpiring both from the mound and as the Baltimore Orioles’ analyst on television.

So it’s no surprise that he thoughts about umpire C.B. Bucknor — he’s seen his share of criticism in his career — who had made a questionable strike call on a Nestor Cortes pitch to Adley Rutschman: “You kind of wonder how bad he’s gonna be and he’s shown us already in the first inning. This ball’s a grounder.”

“He shouldn’t be umpiring and he is,” he added. “They know it. It’s kind of like pitching — when I couldn’t get people out, I became a broadcaster.”

"He shouldn't be umpiring and he is, and they know it."

MASN announcer Jim Palmer rips into home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor (again) pic.twitter.com/Xh7Kw0SAju

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 1, 2024

Wow @Orioles The pride of Scottsdale High, Jim Palmer, airs out CB Bucknor: “You kinda wonder how bad he’s gonna be and he’s shown us already … He shouldn’t be umpiring and he is. They know it. It’s kind of like pitching: when I couldn’t get people out, I became a broadcaster.” pic.twitter.com/LF3rYb1H3o

— jay dieffenbach (@therealjd2424) April 30, 2024

Sheesh!