If Southwest Airlines still did those “Wanna to get away?” commercials, major league umpire Ryan Blakney might be able to pick up a little extra cash on the side.
Blakney was the center of attention for a brief moment Sunday in Seattle, where he was behind the plate as the Mariners and Houston Astros completed a series.
In the top of the fifth inning, Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery painted the inside corner with a curveball to Houston’s Jose Valbuena. An apparent mental lapse led to Blakney giving an enthusiastic strike three call, ringing up Valbuena.
Of course, it was only strike two, which Blakney remembered almost immediately, leading to a rather awkward scenario.
