Home plate umpire Carlos Torres bungles Yankees' first chance in World Series Game 1

Umpiring in your first World Series has to be stressful, no matter your placement. If you're behind the dish for the opening salvo of the most watched Fall Classic of the modern era? Yeah. Carlos Torres is feeling the butterflies right now. All Yankees fans can ask for is fairness for both sides, but ... so far, through one inning, things look tilted significantly against New York.

Jack Flaherty's first pitch to Gleyber Torres touched dirt (despite its high velocity), but for the rest of the at-bat, he was close to the plate ... yet Torres called it tight. First impressions of Torres indicated that he had no intention of getting overwhelmed by the moment, and planned to keep his plate locked down.

Unfortunately, uh ... things swiftly went downhill.

While it didn't end up mattering, Giancarlo Stanton took a 1/3 swing at a fastball eight inches inside, but somehow saw it called strike two. After Tommy Edman bungled Stanton's grounder, Jazz Chisholm came up with two on and two out flashing bunt. He then pulled his bat back, only for Torres to call a strike ... on ... a near-spiked curveball?

As John Smoltz said after an earlier ball call on a curveball at the shoetops, "Those are the calls Flaherty needs." Yeah? No kidding? Every pitcher could use horrific calls in their favor. That's not Flaherty specific.

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Torres is actually one of the umps who's on the higher side of the ratings, which will surprise fans who know him only from the first inning. The first-time World Series watchman will be followed by the 73rd-ranked umpire in the league -- Andy Fletcher, also working his first Fall Classic.

Can we just get the best of the best for the game's ultimate stage? Where are the top-10 guys? Angel Hernández is nowhere to be found, but it certainly seems like we could've done better than a crew that looks like the Pro Bowl roster after injuries and Super Bowl vacations have taken their toll.

Here's to Torres improving as the game drags on.