New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt, umpire Chad Fairchild exchange apologies after missed third strike call

New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt and Chad Fairchild apologized to each other Monday night in a rare player-umpire exchange of mea culpas after an apparent missed call.

Bassitt and his Mets teammates started heading to the dugout in the fifth inning after what he thought was a called third strike against Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.

The 2-2 pitch was right over the plate and appeared to pass through the strike zone above Swanson's knees, but Fairchild called it a ball, extending the at-bat and stunning Bassitt.

The Mets escaped the inning unscathed, as Bassitt retired Matt Olson on a popout after walking Swanson and hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. with a pitch. As Bassitt walked off the mound, he made eye contact again with Fairchild, who tapped his chest in a universal «my mistake» gesture.

In between innings, Chad Fairchild owned up to Chris Bassitt for missing a strike call on Dansby Swanson pic.twitter.com/yPWhnSgymx

«I knew it was a strike, but at the same time, I think umpires, they have one of the hardest jobs in the world,» Bassitt told reporters. «I have no problem if an umpire misses a call — that happens. But especially if an umpire just accepts that, well, what am I going to say? It is what it is.»

Bassitt said he also apologized to Fairchild because his initial reaction to the missed call could have been interpreted as «showing him up.»

«He said he was wrong. I said I was wrong,» Bassitt said. «I was like, 'All right. Let's move on.'»

Umpire performance, specifically calling balls and strikes, has been under heightened scrutiny in recent seasons because of the advent of strike zone technology.

Umpires are graded for each outing by MLB's private Zone Enforcement system. Sources tell ESPN's Jeff Passan