Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Another Botched Call in MLB Brings Replay to the Forefront.. Again


It was Mariners catcher Jesus Sucre's first career at-bat. What a memorable one. Not because he hit a game winning home run or dramatic grand slam. As a matter of fact, when we look on the scorecard it is simply a 3-6-3 double play.. or was it?  See video of the play here.

Okay, so now that you have watched it, did you notice that after the pitcher caught the ball, he looked at third and even took the ball out of his glove.. and no one saw it.  Also, the first base coach for the Mariners Mike Brumley looked a little disappointed in the call but does not argue.  Sucre, the batter, doesn't really like the call but obvoiusly doesn't know who caught the ball.  Even when Seattle manager Eric Wedge comes out to argue, he is asking if the Texas Ranger's first baseman Mitch Moreland's foot is on the bag. After the game, Wedge told MLB.com, "Everybody's just focused on the bag,  I thought he came off the bag. That's what I was out there arguing. And then I come to find out later, with the replay, that he didn't even catch the ball. ... It would have been a much bigger argument if I had known that at the time, no doubt about it."

 Evidently the only ones who did know that Moreland didn't catch the ball is Moreland himself, and the pitcher who actually caught the ball, Justin Grimm. The umpire, Jeff Nelson missed it. The TV and radio play-by-play teams missed it. Not until the replay was it apparent that Grimm caught the ball. The Rangers went on to win 9-5, and Sucre had to wait until the bottom of the ninth to record his first hit in the majors.

So the question here is "Replay or no replay?" 

Let me hear what you think.

The umpire, Jeff Nelson has since apologized for the botched call. Nelson said his focus was on Moreland's foot and he never saw Grimm grab the throw.

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