In the bottom of the 3rd inning Friday at Wrigley Field, there was a moment that caused many Cubs fans, players and coaches to collectively groan, ‘here we go again.’

On a full count pitch with 1 out and a runner on second base, Suzuki took a slider from Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodríguez that was off the plate. The pitch was definitely a ball, but home plate umpire Sean Barber called it a strike and a frustrated Suzuki was forced to walk back to the Cubs dugout.

If it seems like that exact scenario has been happening a lot to Suzuki…that’s because it has.

According to Baseball Savant, Suzuki has been caught looking on pitches out of the zone more times (12) than any other player in baseball.

And it has also been happening a lot lately. Suzuki has struck out looking on incorrect calls 4 times already in August and 7 times total since the All-Star Break.

That included last week in Cleveland against Alex Cobb and on the last homestand against Minnesota’s Randy Dobnak.

When a reporter referenced the strikeout Friday, Suzuki smiled and simply said, “no comment” through interpreter Edwin Stanberry.

Expanding beyond 2024, Suzuki still leads the league in the same category (strikeouts looking on pitches out of the zone) since the start of 2022, his rookie season. His 28 strikeouts on incorrect calls rank higher than Mookie Betts (27) and new teammate Isaac Paredes (23).

Of course, it’s not just incorrect calls on Strike 3. Suzuki is also the victim of umpire’s mistakes at various other points in at-bats.

“He’s near the top of a list with missed calls,” manager Craig Counsell acknowledged before Saturday’s game. “I mean, I don’t have an answer [why]. … You look at the list – young players, old players, successful [players]. It’s all over the place.”

[From frustration to joy: Cubs walk off Blue Jays thanks to Seiya Suzuki’s heroics]

So what can Suzuki and the Cubs do about it?

The automated strike zone appears inevitable to come to the major leagues but for now, the Cubs feel like they might have some control in the matter, thanks to an interesting theory from an unlikely source.

“I think there is value in [arguing during the game],” Counsell said. “It’s not something you can prove, for sure. I remember having this conversation with Todd Helton, a good player. He had the mindset to question every strike call.

“By human nature, it just wears down the umpire. You just question everything. You get worn down by continually being questioned. And it was an interesting theory. As a player, I thought there were some Yankee teams that subscribed to that philosophy. They just questioned every strike call against them.”

[WATCH: Craig Counsell’s full pregame presser]

So is that something Counsell and the Cubs coaches can do from the dugout?

“I think it’s easier for the player,” Counsell said. “It’s not a show-up, like a big scene. It’s just gently questioning.”

It also has to be something players are on board with. Some players argue with – and question – umpires more than others.

“You have to do it the right way, appropriately, and question it,” Counsell said. “And he has to be comfortable doing it.”

Counsell also dismissed the notion of putting something like that in an umpire’s head before a game.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily helpful,” he said. “But I think the players questioning calls – we’re all kind of working at it together and trying to influence and trying to help make better calls. There’s no playbook for it, though.”