There’s nothing quite like a manager storming out of the dugout, face turning tomato-red, and giving the ump an earful over a borderline strike call. Blaming the umpire has practically become a pastime within the pastime, and some teams seem to have it down to an art form. Whether it’s the fans, the players, or the coaching staff, certain clubs just can’t help but act like the men in blue are always out to get them.
Some of it’s justified. Some of it’s just deflection. But all of it is entertaining. So here’s our highly unscientific, but deeply accurate ranking of all 30 MLB teams by how often they seem to blame the umpires when things go south.
30. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are too busy doing spreadsheets and bullpen math to worry about balls and strikes. If anything, they’re blaming a pitching algorithm before pointing fingers at the ump.
29. Minnesota Twins
Minnesota keeps things polite—even their complaints feel like friendly suggestions. Their beef is usually more with Mother Nature than the umpire crew.
28. Seattle Mariners
Mariners fans are used to suffering, so blaming umps just isn’t part of the culture. It’s hard to yell at the strike zone when your offense disappears for weeks at a time.
27. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have their moments, but they generally keep their cool behind the plate. Maybe it’s all the cheese curds keeping them calm.
26. Kansas City Royals
They haven’t won enough in the last 10 years or so for the umpire to really matter. Sure, they made the playoffs last year, but Royals fans are usually too checked out by the 7th inning to even notice a blown call.
25. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have turned a corner and don’t need excuses right now. When you’re young and exciting, the umps don’t get as much of your energy.
24. Toronto Blue Jays
They’ll complain, but only when things get truly wild. For the most part, they keep it pretty level-headed up in the north.
23. San Diego Padres
There’s a lot of drama around this team, but ump-blaming isn’t their go-to. The finger-pointing usually stays internal with this underachieving crew.
22. Detroit Tigers
Detroit’s frustration has been more existential than ump-related lately. But every now and then, a missed strike call gets them all fired up.
21. Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians get feisty when it matters, but they’re not serial ump-blamers. Usually, they just quietly stew and let the postgame interviews do the talking.
20. Arizona Diamondbacks
They’ve got a little edge, but they keep it contained. Unless it’s a playoff game—then all bets are off.
19. Miami Marlins
Marlins fans are too used to being ignored to blame the umps. But their players? They’ll chirp when they feel disrespected.
18. St. Louis Cardinals
They act like the unwritten rules should apply to umpires, too. A questionable call against them is treated like a moral injustice.
17. Chicago White Sox
This team’s had more issues with effort than umpires lately. Still, when things go off the rails, you can bet someone’s going to glare down at an official.
16. Cincinnati Reds
This young squad has some fire, and that occasionally gets directed at the men behind the plate. They’re not top-tier complainers yet, but they’re learning fast.
15. Colorado Rockies
Altitude might mess with a lot of things, but not their ability to shout at umpires. When you lose as much as the Rockies, somebody’s got to take the blame.
14. Los Angeles Angels
With all that chaos, it’s surprising umps aren’t blamed even more. But when they do get into it, it’s usually loud and messy.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh doesn’t always blame the umps—but when they do, it’s with full-on, dramatic exasperation. They act like the baseball gods are against them, and the umpires are just the messengers.
12. Boston Red Sox
Red Sox fans and players are never shy about voicing their displeasure. A blown call in Boston is treated like a national crisis.
11. Oakland Athletics
Not a ton of wins to defend, but when they do get testy, it’s always the umpire’s fault. The few fans still watching are usually yelling right along with them.
10. Washington Nationals
This team’s had a lot of tension in recent years, and it shows. Missed calls are met with full-body tantrums from the dugout.
9. Philadelphia Phillies
Philly loves a good scapegoat, and the umps are a classic choice. A questionable strike call is treated like sabotage.
8. Chicago Cubs
Wrigley can turn into a cauldron of complaints pretty fast. From the bleachers to the bullpen, everyone’s ready to blame blue.
7. Atlanta Braves
They play with swagger, and when things go wrong, umps get an earful. Braves fans also have a sharp eye for missed calls and a louder voice to point them out.
6. Texas Rangers
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the meltdowns over missed calls. From fiery managers to red-hot fans, the Rangers love to blame the umps.
5. New York Yankees
New York loves drama, and blaming umpires is part of the show. The second a call doesn’t go their way, you can hear the Bronx erupt.
4. Houston Astros
The Astros have had a rocky relationship with umpires ever since, well, that whole thing. There’s a lot of distrust, and it shows every time a call doesn’t go their way.
3. San Francisco Giants
They’ve got a long memory and a short temper when it comes to bad calls. Whether it’s a strike zone or a check swing, they’re never letting it go.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are elite at everything—including complaining. One missed call and the whole dugout is suddenly performing live theater.
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1. New York Mets
Oh, the Mets. If the umpires aren’t the reason things went wrong, just wait five minutes—they will be. This team has turned blaming umps into a full-on coping mechanism.
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