Yankees' Austin Wells calls out umpires over Camilo Doval balk

Matt Sullivan

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Yankees' Austin Wells calls out umpires over Camilo Doval balk image

The New York Yankees fell to the Houston Astros, 8-7, and it was a massively frustrating game for the Yankees. Multiple calls didn't go their way all game long, including the final strike to Jazz Chisholm.

But one of the more noteworthy moments from the game, during the 8th inning implosion from the Yankees, was Camilo Doval's balk, which made the score 7-4. After the game, Yankees catcher Austin Wells called out the umpires over the balk, defending Doval.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic shared the postgame quote from Wells, which defended Doval and criticized the umpires for their lack of understanding during the balk call.

Wells Defends Doval Over 8th-Inning Balk

"With Camilo," Well said, "he doesn't speak great English. We only have one PitchCom that really works with just Spanish. The umpire seemed not to - he didn't really care about what the deal was..."

Wells continued, "... but said he gave us a chance to fix it the first time that we went out there, and then decided that it was a disengagement and we were trying to explain to him our case, and he said that we were lucky that we didn't get a violation and that it was just a balk."

Instead of being granted a time-out, the home plate umpire, who drew the ire of Yankees players, coaches, and fans all night, called a balk to advance the runners, extending a frustrating inning and increasing the Astros' lead.

During the balk-call, Doval did what he's done his entire career, and was called for a balk. This balk call, combined with Wells' frustration over the lack of grace given to fix the PitchCom device, was an incredibly frustrating half-inning for New York.

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The Yankees nearly managed to come back, as Cody Bellinger hit a ninth-inning home run to make it 8-7, which, if the balk didn't happen, would've made it a tie game.

Instead, the Yankees came up one run short, thanks in part to a controversial balk call amid a game with plenty of close calls going against the Yankees.

Wells' comments after the game called out the umpires, specifically the home plate umpire Brian Walsh, over the balk call and the PitchCom issues Doval and Wells experienced during the game.

Amid a frustrating game against the Astros, every little moment further sparks outrage and frustration. For Wells and the Yankees, the lack of grace from the home plate umpire with Doval, combined with the balk call, led Wells to call out the home plate umpire postgame.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.