Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) reacts after being called out on strikes by MLB umpire Mark Carlson (6) during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Oh, you thought home plate umpire Carlos Torres was bad in Game 1 of the World Series? Let us introduce you to home playe umpire Mark Carlson, who’s out there for Game 3 between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Carlson’s zone has been all over the place on Monday night, which is the perfect recipe for the Yankees to completely fall apart if they aren’t stringing together hits. When they go in bouts of offensive struggles, they make sure to highlight every bad call by the umps, whether it impacts the game or not.

The lesson? Never put yourself in a position to have the umpires drastically affect the game, unless it’s a win-or-go-home affair. Nothing you can really do getting hosed in that type of situation.

But the Yankees did very much put themselves in a position to be at the mercy of third base coach Luis Rojas’ decisions and Carlson’s calls behind the plate. With New York finally threatening in the seventh inning with runners on first and second, Carlson rung up Gleyber Torres on one of the worst strike calls you’ll ever see in a modern day playoff game.

Yankees’ World Series rally ruined by umpire Mark Carlson’s call on Gleyber Torres

At first, many fans thought Torres went around on the swing. Though he tried to appeal to the first base umpire, it didn’t matter because Carlson called it a strike.

That very clear ball three would’ve made the count full with Juan Soto waiting on deck. We will never know what might have happened, and every detractor out there would say that it probably wouldn’t have worked out in the Yankees’ favor given their performance to date, but it all could’ve come down to just one swing at that point in the game.

But from the moment Aaron Boone removed Gerrit Cole from Game 1, this series was doomed. From the RISP failures to Aaron Judge’s historic struggles to defensive miscues, the Yankees’ 0-3 deficit after Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Dodgers is well-deserved due to is self-inflicted nature.

At least the ump job made it a tad more entertaining for the folks at home, because that never-ending loop of predictable Yankees failures sure was getting boring. We’ll find out on Tuesday if the Yankees have any heart, as they look to avoid the first World Series sweep since 2012 when the Giants dispatched the Tigers, holding Detroit to just six runs in four games.