Little League umpire makes head-scratching strike calls after player leaves box early

Little League umpires aren’t held to the same level of scrutiny as … say … actual professional umpires. The umpires in the Little League World Series don’t even get paid beyond $400 for travel. And when umpires are making calls like the home plate umpire at the Southeast Regional did on Monday, none of that should come as a surprise. With Georgia up in the second inning, the batter Chase Fralick made his way to first base after the 3-0 pitch missed high. It wasn’t called a ball, though, as the umpire brought Fralick back to the box with a late strike call. It was more of the same for the 3-1 pitch that clearly missed outside. The catcher literally framed the pitch behind the right-handed batter’s