Over the weekend, JD Martinez of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a three run home run. It was an exciting play that gave the Dodgers a three run lead in the 1st inning, setting the tone for a win over rival San Diego.
Luckily for fans, the standard cameras weren’t the only ones to catch this blast. The home plate umpire was wearing a body camera too, which caught the home run at a completely unique angle.
MLB then took that video and posted it for fans to see on Twitter. Check it out, here:
There is a lot to love about this camera angle. The best thing about it really is that it puts you in the action, giving fans a way of watching the game like they’ve never been able to before these cameras were added.
Joe Musgrove was on the mound for the Padres and you can see the pitch break across the plate. Of course, it didn’t break where he wanted it to, as Martinez took advantage of the belt high pitch.
This also gives an excellent view of JD Martinez’s swing. Martinez has been one of the best hitters in baseball since he got to Detroit in 2014. Since then, he’s been an All-Star five times and even won the Silver Slugger for two different positions in 2018.
Over the past couple of seasons, as Martinez enters his mid-30s, he has lost some power. Still, the slugger is now only 13 home runs away from 300 for his career.
MLB umpires have ejected several players for seemingly minor offenses
As everyone knows, fans show up to games for the right to watch MLB’s beloved umpires call balls and strikes. At least, that seems to be what MLB’s umpires think. The most recent example of this came when Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks was tossed from a game for clapping with a call he agreed with.
Walker isn’t alone, though, with these issues going back to spring training. There JT Realmuto, one of the game’s best catchers, was thrown out of the game for moving his glove because he thought the umpire was going to toss the ball back to the pitcher.
That decision was so bad the NFL referees were even trolling the umpire. For his part, Realmuto thought it was a ridiculous decision, saying, “How does he expect me to know he’s giving me the ball right there? I’m not even looking at him.”
MLB legend Jim Palmer, who now works as a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles, has had enough. He ranted about an umpire who made two brutal calls and ejected Ramon Urias for being mildly frustrated.
“Just turn around. Go umpire. They didn’t come to see you umpire, Vic. It’s a bush league call right there. No reason to do that. You really kind of embarrass your profession when you do that,” Palmer said.
“There’s no reason when you miss two pitches in a row and he didn’t show you up, didn’t bounce his helmet, didn’t do anything, just was irritated that he got called out on two balls that were off the plate.”
