Alex Cora delivers ‘one job’ reaction to ump’s tough day in Reds’ win over Red Sox

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29 March 2026 at 17:52

There was a game within the game during the Saturday, March 28, MLB contest between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

Home-plate umpire C.B. Bucknor faced off against the new Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS).

ABS won 6-2.

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Batters challenged eight of Bucknor’s ball-strike calls during Cincinnati’s 6-5, 11-inning victory. Six of the calls were overturned. Reds batters Eugenio Suarez and Will Benson each challenged back-to-back third-strike calls and won all four.

But Bucknor’s refusal to check with the first-base umpire on a check swing by Boston’s Trevor Story caused the most ire, at least in the Red Sox dugout. The call ended Boston’s eighth inning and resulted in the ejection of Boston manager Alex Cora.

After the game, Cora said he just wanted Bucknor to check with an umpire who had a better look at Story’s swing.

“He has one job to do, to call balls and strikes. It wasn’t his best day,” Cora said. “He saw it as a swing, and he called it.”

Said Story, via MLB.com, “I don’t have anything really good to say about the situation, so I’m not going to say anything else.”

Bucknor, 63, has been an MLB umpire since 1996. He caught a bit of a break because Boston ran out of challenges early in the game. Catcher Carlos Narvaez challenged a ball call in the second inning and lost. In the third, Roman Anthony challenged two consecutive pitches, losing the second. That left the Red Sox without challenges until extra innings.

“I’ve got to do better on my end to just not get overly aggressive and be absolutely sure,” Anthony told MLB.com.

Boston and Cincinnati close out their three-game series at 1:40 p.m. ET March 29 in Cincinnati.