Every time I think that we’re done with controversy and replay, things spiral out of control even quicker than I could imagine…
May 28th, Tigers vs Athletics – Miggy can’t slide.
This slide by Miguel Cabrera was…not good. And it almost resulted in him getting rewarded with a double. Thankfully, the replay went ahead and overturned that, leading to Oakland’s walk off win in the bottom of the ninth.
May 30th, Angels vs Athletics – maybe I’m blind, but…
I love the yellow outfield line, but you all knew that already. What I *don’t* love is when a team puts a yellow advertisement right on top of the yellow line, so you can’t see a damn thing. Donaldson’s homer call stood, but looking for a white ball on a yellow ad is enough to give you a headache.
June 1st, Rangers vs Nationals – the double challenge.
This is the worst thing ever – each team challenging the SAME PLAY. The Nationals challenged the fact that a run scored on this double steal, while the Rangers challenged the out call at second base. The best outcome for Texas would be that Alex Rios is safe at second, and the run scores. The best outcome for Washington is that Rios is out, and the run didn’t score. The median outcome is that the run scored, but Rios is out. At the end of the review, the best case for the Nationals won out – no run, Rios is out.
June 1st, Pirates vs Dodgers – insult to injury.
Russell Martin got hit in the hand/wrist with this pitch from Zack Greinke, but Don Mattingly challenged whether or not the ball actually hit his bat. If you’re Martin, that has to suck – you’re probably in an immense amount of pain, and instead of getting the game going, you’re sitting there with a challenge hanging over your head. It also has to be difficult for the umpires, because that’s a pretty damn hard play to get conclusive evidence on either way.
June 2nd, Royals vs Cardinals – not so routine.
This looked like your normal, every day infield chopper – but Lorenzo Cain was ruled to have beaten Matt Carpenter’s throw to first. Sure enough, he did – it’s not just the crazy plays that get reviewed!
June 3rd, Diamondbacks vs Rockies – let’s waste time because the umpires can’t count!
What a damn joke this is. The umpires in Denver wasted two and a half minutes of our time just to ensure the count was 2-2. After this ridiculous delay, Wilin Rosario flew out on the next pitch. Way to burn all that time for no reason!
