C.B. Bucknor Exits Brewers-Rays Game After Foul Tip
MILWAUKEE — Longtime MLB umpire C.B. Bucknor left the Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays game in the second inning on April 1, 2026, after a foul-tipped pitch struck his facemask. The 100.2 mph offering from Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski caromed off Rays catcher Nick Fortes' bat directly into Bucknor's mask at American Family Field. Medical staff attended to the shaken umpire, who departed shortly after, forcing a delay while the crew adjusted to three umpires for the remainder.
The incident followed a controversial call by Bucknor the previous night, when he ruled Cleveland Guardians first baseman Jake Bauers out for missing first base without looking at the play. Video showed Bauers' cleat strike the bag's center, drawing widespread criticism on social media. Bucknor, working home plate amid heightened scrutiny in MLB's automated ball-strike challenge era, faced immediate backlash.
Bucknor has umpired since 1996 and ranks among MLB's two longest-tenured arbiters. His resume includes the 2005 and 2021 All-Star Games, five American League Division Series and two no-hitters. He has exited at least two prior games injured, including one in 2013 from another foul tip to the mask.
The Brewers rallied for six runs in the eighth inning to secure an 8-2 victory, their fifth win in six games this season.
