The last time the Cubs and the Dodgers faced off on Opening Day was over 60 years ago. And now, the two teams met under the bright lights of Tokyo, kicking off the MLB 2025 season in an international spectacle. What should have been a celebration of baseball’s global reach, quickly turned into something else (at least, to some extent)—a moment that Cubs fans won’t forget anytime soon.
It all unraveled in an instant. Cubs pitcher Ben Brown was one strike away from escaping trouble. He painted the corner with what should have been a game-saving strike three. The crowd, the broadcasters, and even Brown himself seemed to know it. Everyone except the umpire. The pitch was called a ball, and the at-bat continued. Moments later, Kiké Hernández made the Cubs pay with a momentum-shifting home run.
Cue the outrage.
Kiké Hernández CRUSHES this pitch! #TokyoSeries pic.twitter.com/XWfcSKh02Y
— MLB (@MLB) March 19, 2025
Social media erupted as fans, analysts, and neutral viewers questioned the blown call. Was it just a bad miss by the umpire or was there something more at play? After all, Tokyo wasn’t just hosting the MLB season opener—it was hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. The city was covered in Dodgers blue. MLB’s biggest international brand was front and center. Now, many were left wondering if that visibility came with an extra boost on the field.
As frustration boiled over, the Chicago Cubs fans took to social media to call out what they saw as blatant favoritism. The reactions portray the disbelief in MLB’s officiating. Now, baseball lovers are concerned that when it comes to the Dodgers, the league always identifies a way to help its biggest brand.
Fans react to the controversial call: Dodgers bias?
“RIGGED.” One word. That is all it took for fans to summarize their feelings against the Dodgers. Some thought this was not just a wrong call, but a part of a larger pattern. Fans argued that such mistakes always seem to comfort the Dodgers. In a game where every second can transform momentum, this missed call felt too convenient to be accidental.
There is no doubt that the Dodgers are MLB’s enormous brand. Walk down any street in Tokyo right now, you’ll see Dodgers posters everywhere. Merchandise sales are through the roof. Fans have traveled far and wide to see them in the stadium. “Missed strike 3 call. But it’s the Dodgers. Your golden boys.” If the Dodgers were not in this series, the buzz would not be there. This has led to the belief that MLB exploits more when the Dodgers win. And the controversies are through the roof.
The Dodgers are masters of deferred money. The team has structured contracts to keep payroll flexibility while committing over $1 billion in future payments to talents, like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Blake Snell. So when such a missed strike call benefited them, some fans could not help but draw a link. “The Dodgers defer money to the home plate umpire too?” This fueled suspicions of favoritism. With MLB’s marquee team continuously landing top talent and now benefiting from a game-transforming call, frustration is mounting.
“Juiced balls for the Dodgers… Really MLB?” This was not the first time fans have accused MLB of favoring the team. During the 2017 World Series, pitchers claimed the balls were slicker and “juiced” to benefit hitters. This fueled suspicions of league interference. More currently, MLB The Show 25 sparked outrage when fans felt Dodgers stars were overrated, where one fan commented, “Shohei Ohtani robbed, should be 100.” Given how easily that home run sailed over the fence, it is no surprise that fans suspect history is repeating itself.
Some fans could not help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The missed call was so blatant that neutral viewers were left shaking their heads. “Ump robbed them ngl,” one fan joked, summing up the frustration with a mix of humor and disbelief. Whether intentional or not, the call completely shifted momentum, leaving Cubs fans feeling robbed of a fair shot.
“Show the missed strike call. Missed strike 3 right before this… horrible.” Fans were desperate for receipts. Some asked for replays, slow-motion breakdowns, and comparisons with similar calls from past games. However, in the end, no amount of footage could transform what had already occurred. The call was missed, the home run counted and LA walked away with the win.
MLB has had its fair share of umpiring controversies, but this one hit distinctively. With the Los Angeles Dodgers being the face of the league in this Tokyo Series, a missed call in their favor only amplified frustrations. The league has been testing automated strike zones in spring training, but moments like this highlight why multiple fans want it adopted full-time. But till that happens, debates related to bias and fairness will continue—and so will the Dodgers’ dominance.
Think MLB is biased?
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