‘I’ve never done that before’ Why MLB umpire Mark Wegner is catching heat for forgetting count

The Houston Astros claimed a 9-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. And while it didn't prove consequential on the scoreboard, a significant error on the part of the home-plate umpire went against Boston.

Veteran umpire Mark Wegner acknowledged that he lost track of the count for Astros outfielder Cam Smith's at-bat in the fifth inning against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello. 

Smith, who should have struck out on a swing-and-miss but was instead granted an 1-2 count, went on to work a walk. 

Here's what Wegner said of the mistake he made in tracking the count on Smith.

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MLB umpire admits he forgot count

When Smith came to the plate in the fifth inning of Tuesday's game, he had three swinging strikes vs. Bello, which should have been a strikeout. On the second pitch, a throwing error on a steal attempt allowed the Astros' runner at third base to score. But in the moments afterward, nobody seemed to notice that Smith's third swing-and-miss was a strikeout.

Wegner signaled "strike," but none of Smith, Bello, the managers or players appeared to take notice that it should have been a strikeout.

Instead, Smith was given a 1-2 count after his third strike, despite not taking a ball. He went on to foul off the fourth pitch, take the fifth pitch as a ball, foul off the sixth pitch, take the seventh pitch as a ball, foul off the eighth pitch, then take the ninth pitch as a high ball.

Smith walked in an at-bat where he should have struck out and only took three balls.

That was also Bello's final batter, as he was pulled by manager Alex Cora. Boston did not allow any more runs in the inning, but went on to lose 9-2.

Wegner told reporters postgame that he noticed his mistake.

“I just watched the video,” Wegner said, per The New York Post. “I somehow didn’t count the second swinging one because I said the count was 1-2. It was actually strike three … I’ve never done that before. I’m not happy about it. Just made a mistake.”

Wegner, however, also said that "no one on the field said a word" about the mistake. He added that he believes it was the second pitch, just before the steal attempt and runner scoring, that he missed.

“It must have [been] because that’s the strike that I didn’t count on my indicator,” Wegner said. “Because the next one he swung at, I gave a count that said 1-2, and it was the third strike.”

Bello was also asked about the at-bat, saying he didn't question it at the time when Wegner said it was a 1-1 count after two pitches.

Bello said Wegner gave the count as 1-1 after his second pitch, and he didn't question it at the time.

"I thought the first pitch was a strike, and I thought that he swung at the second pitch," Bello said in Spanish through an interpreter, per ESPN. "None of that took me out of my focus in that inning. I tried to get out of that inning, and it didn't happen."

Wegner's mistake couldn't have been directly influenced by MLB's new ABS system, which allows players to challenge whether a taken pitch was a ball or strike. Because Smith had three swings-and-misses, there was nothing to challenge — Wegner, and everybody else in the game, simply just forgot the count and did not correct the mistake.

MORE: Explaining MLB's new ABS challenge system

Who is Mark Wegner?

Mark Wegner is a longtime MLB umpire who is crew chief working his 29th major league season. He first began working National League games in 1998, then all MLB games by 2000. 

In 2018, Wegner was promoted to crew chief. He has umpired in three World Series, two All-Star Games and three World Baseball Classics.