What an unbelievably incompetent call in wildcard game

[Spurffelbow833]

Unfreakin' believable. And shut up with the sanctimony, announcers. The fan response was completely appropriate. Thank them for not rioting.

[AzCatFan]

One has to wonder if the MLB hired the NFL replacement refs to work the game. One of the worst calls ever.

[keefer]

Didn't watch. Please 'splain................

[DoubleDown11]

One of the worst calls I've ever seen, but it doesn't change the fact that the Braves wouldn't even be in this position if they weren't throwing the ball all over the field.

[Potzer01]

It's true it was awful, the fan response was fairly appropriate given the lack of replay, reviews or compentancy on the umps part.

Yet another case for replay.

Tbh I would enjoy the game more with electronic balls and strikes to

[tideh8rGator]

I agree the call was stupid.

The Braves need some experienced postseason players whose bats will not go dead in October. Same problem for the last 20 years except for 1995.

[GatorBen]

Didn't watch. Please 'splain................

The ball fell between the short stop and the outfielder in the outfield with one out and Braves on first and second (and the score 6-3 St. Louis). The extra left field line ump called a very late infield fly rule on what didn't look to be a ball catchable by the infielder with normal effort to register the second out.

The game is being played under protest now and the Braves fans showered the field with garbage.

[Spurffelbow833]

Kinda makes you wonder if they're better off with four umpires in the postseason. I don't care if St. Louis won by 3 runs. The whole game changed. We'll never know what should have happened.

They correctly called Simmons out for running inside the base line earlier, but still if you were a fan, you thought the Braves got the lead back and then, nope. That plus the errors and the infield fly rule call, and this is without a doubt the most nightmarish last game for a Hall of Fame player ever. If I were at the game, it would be my worst experience as a fan. 100% suck after Ross's home run. Thank God I wasn't there.

I hate the Cardinals. Every time the Braves play them in the postseason, irritating crap happens.

[Spurffelbow833]

Tbh I would enjoy the game more with electronic balls and strikes to

That'll never happen. It would force pitchers to throw a strike when the count is 0-2 or 1-2.

[GatorBen]

ESPN says MLB expects to rule on the Braves' protest later tonight.

[keefer]

Wow. Sounds like they need to get the feds involved in regards to that umpire.

[superman2318]

ESPN says MLB expects to rule on the Braves' protest later tonight.

As bad as the call was, i have a very hard time thinking they make any kind of change. Not only was the OF going to have to make the Play or a heck of a catch by the SS, but he call the IFR about a second before the ball landed, Not at the peak where its normally called, and WAY deeper in the OF. But they will stick by their guys, just like with the NFL and the Packers call.

[Spurffelbow833]

The Cardinals can make the claim that Kozma gave up on the play when he heard the call. It would be just as unfair to them to reverse the call. Just a complete SNAFU by the umpires.

[GatorBen]

The Cardinals can make the claim that Kozma gave up on the play when he heard the call. It would be just as unfair to them to reverse the call. Just a complete SNAFU by the umpires.

I hear what you're saying, but I don't know that that's a terribly believable claim for them to make. Why would you give up and let the runners advance just because you were getting the second out for free.

[Spurffelbow833]

I hear what you're saying, but I don't know that that's a terribly believable claim for them to make. Why would you give up and let the runners advance just because you were getting the second out for free.

Maybe because the outfielder was in a better position to make the throw. The umpire confused everybody. Nobody knew what to do once he made the inappropriate call.

[outbackjack]

I know this is a Gators football board, and if you need to delete, please do.

However, I wanted to see what sportsfans think, and I didn't know which board to post on.

Granted, the Braves lost by having crucial errors and not scoring runners late in scoring position, BUT were also robbed by the worst call I've ever seen.

Here's my biggest problem with it.

1. The infield fly call is made when someone who starts the play on the infield, is under a fly ball with routine effort (i.e.camped). This ball was 70 feet into the outfield, and the SS NEVER EVEN REACHED the point to where the ball would eventually land.

2. Infield flys are called immediately by the ump, thus to alert baserunners. This was called by the ump when the ball was sinking fast, just an instant before it hit the ground.

3. Infield fly should be called by the third base ump, not the LF ump.

4. It is 100% clear the ump doesn't raise his fist UNTIL the short stop has peeled off.

5. The rule is in place to prevent fielders from dropping a ball, then doubling off the runners. CLEARLY, when this dropped in left, the runners EASILY advanced, standing, into the next base. And it was Uggla and Ross, not Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson.

A HUGE moment in the game. The ex-umps on TV are saying the company line (correct call), but they are just protecting their own.

My favorite is the line where the umps in the game all agree with the call. Really?

THEN WHY DIDN'T THE THIRD BASE UMP EVER MAKE THE CALL, since it was his call, if he agreed with it.

Lifelong Braves fan, very, very tough pill to swallow.

Go get em tomorrow Gators. Do it for Darin Ross and Chipper Jones.

[Juggernautz]

The Braves were robbed!

[AzCatFan]

The Cardinals can make the claim that Kozma gave up on the play when he heard the call. It would be just as unfair to them to reverse the call. Just a complete SNAFU by the umpires.

The thing is, players are told to complete the catch, no matter what the umpire calls. First, you never are sure the ump will make the call. Second, catch the ball and the chance of the runners advancing is minute. Let it drop...well, you see what can happen.

The umpire royally screwed up and changed the game. And I doubt MLB does anything. That would be unfair to the Cardinals at this point. They would have to stay in Atl and have their closer throw yet another inning or more. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

What MLB should do is join the 21st century, especially for playoff games. Allow for more replays. Have an official either on hand or on stanby to decide an outcome of a protest. Give them a 5 minute window to decide. Half innings are usually a couple minutes anyway.

There is no reason, in today's world, that bad calls need to stand. High def replays from multiple angles are instantly available around the world. Utilize the technology and get it right.

[gotime51]

it was total bs. in a game of this significance, let the play go without getting involved

[Wuerffel5220]

Not an infield fly

[15gator05]

I know this is a Gators football board, and if you need to delete, please do.

However, I wanted to see what sportsfans think, and I didn't know which board to post on.

Granted, the Braves lost by having crucial errors and not scoring runners late in scoring position, BUT were also robbed by the worst call I've ever seen.

Here's my biggest problem with it.

1. The infield fly call is made when someone who starts the play on the infield, is under a fly ball with routine effort (i.e.camped). This ball was 70 feet into the outfield, and the SS NEVER EVEN REACHED the point to where the ball would eventually land.

2. Infield flys are called immediately by the ump, thus to alert baserunners. This was called by the ump when the ball was sinking fast, just an instant before it hit the ground.

3. Infield fly should be called by the third base ump, not the LF ump.

4. It is 100% clear the ump doesn't raise his fist UNTIL the short stop has peeled off.

5. The rule is in place to prevent fielders from dropping a ball, then doubling off the runners. CLEARLY, when this dropped in left, the runners EASILY advanced, standing, into the next base. And it was Uggla and Ross, not Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson.

A HUGE moment in the game. The ex-umps on TV are saying the company line (correct call), but they are just protecting their own.

My favorite is the line where the umps in the game all agree with the call. Really?

THEN WHY DIDN'T THE THIRD BASE UMP EVER MAKE THE CALL, since it was his call, if he agreed with it.

Lifelong Braves fan, very, very tough pill to swallow.

Go get em tomorrow Gators. Do it for Darin Ross and Chipper Jones.

Today the blues invented the new outfield fly rule.

[Allanon]

Protest denied. Ump saw the replay and said he made the right call.

[Apeman]

Bad call, but go Cards. They're a dangerous postseason squad, even with all the injuries.

[Juggernautz]

One has to wonder if the MLB hired the NFL replacement refs to work the game. One of the worst calls ever.

I was thinking the same thing.

[RattlerGator]

Outrageously bad call. I'm still trying to figure out how the infield fly rule could even be considered when the infielder had gone so far out, he gave way to the OUTFIELDER !!!

Outrageously bad call.

[go7gator]

It was not a bad call. First, the rule requires an infielder to camp under the ball, and it does not matter if he is in the outfield when doing so. Kozma camped.

Second, the third base umpire and the left field umpire each lifted their arms to make the call the moment Kozma camped under the ball.

Third, the Braves have players who have never experienced the stress of a do-or-die game, except perhaps those that they choked in last September. Those players made errors that little leaguers don't even make. To Chipper's credit, he said after the game that the call did not cost the Braves the game. But when a team is as hapless under pressure as the Braves, the self-serving impulse is to blame someone else. Let's not forget... the Braves blew almost every run-scoring opportunity they had last night. Braves got a gift two-run homer when the ump gave Ross a second chance to we another pitch after being struck out.

Braves fans are a disgrace to baseball. Throwing beer cans onto the playing field en masse. They should have been escorted out of the stadium -- none were -- and the Commissioner's office should have called a forfeit. It took 30 minutes to clean the field. The Cards' set-up man stood around on the mound and wasn't allowed to warm-up again after the delay. This meant lifting him and bringing in their closer an inning early. Ridiculous.

This was a bad day, but not because of any thing the umps did on the infield fly.

[RattlerGator]

Damn, go7 -- that's the first outrageously bad post I remember you making ;-)

[ovillegator]

Just glad Chipper got a base hit in his last at bat, with his mom, dad and kids watching.

As for the call, probably a bad one but an honest one. It seems the ump misunderstood the fielder's 'peeling off', which upon replay looked more like he either lost the ball or thought he heard the outfielder calling him off.

But bad calls are part of baseball, and this one didn't decide the game. Calls go both ways.

However, the fans were atrocious. They came close to losing the game outright for their team by continuing to throw stuff on the field -- had this not been a playoff game, the umps might well have forfeited it. They showed restraint in not doing so.

[BillGator97]

What made the call so bad was how late it was. But it was late because it took the shortstop quite a bit to run back and get into left field for an "ordinary effort" catch. I'm not a Braves fan, but that was a HORRIBLE call.

[RattlerGator]

And, go7's opinion (IMHO) is the problem when people (including umpires) get overly anal about these rules and forget the derivation of the rule.

This rule is about arbitrarily creating a situation where infielders force EXTRA outs.

Damn sure wasn't going to be a force-out on this play.

What, if an infielder "camped" under a ball in that situation in the middle of left field (damn near what happened), that rule applies? What if he "camps" under it out at the warning track??? I thought one of the announcers made the appropriate assessment last night. This mistake was entirely caused by the extra ump, "camped" (how do you like them apples!?!) out down that left field line. His perspective is completely screwed and because he's watching the infielder follow the ball, he's thinking infield.

Except the damn thing was in the outfield and the guy wasn't "camped" under it, he got under the ball and almost immediately gave way to the outfielder. No player "camped" under the ball gives way like that.

Outrageously bad call.

[AustinGator1]

Horrible call but it in no way cost the Braves the game. The Braves did an excellent job of that all by themselves.

One good thing that might come of it though is calls that poor on a big stage such as yesterday gets the ball rolling towards replay for baseball which is long overdue.

Pretty easy call when seen on replay. Easy to fix too as all the replay official needs to do is eliminate the out, put a runner at all bases and play ball.

[TWGator]

There were a few bad calls. I thought the "timeout" granted to Ross was horrible, as well. And, while it was nice to see Chipper leg that last hit out, he should have been called out - yes, Craig got pulled off the bag, but he did recover and get back in time. Should have been the last out of the game. My biggest issue with the blown call on the infield fly (and I am a Cards fan) was the timing - he made it way too late. Kozma COULD have camped out under it, but peeled off because he thought Holliday was calling him off.

Anyway, for Braves fans to blame that ONE call on the outcome of the game is a little like Cubs fans saying the reason they don't have a World Series banner rests solely on Steve Bartman. Was it a huge moment that COULD have turned the game? Absolutely. But by no means should anyone ASSUME that the Braves would have come all the way back. It's not like it was a one-run game at that point. St. Louis was up by 3 and, had the infield fly rule not been invoked, they would have STILL been up by 3 at that point. Again, you can't just assume Atlanta would have erased that deficit.

What killed the Braves was their OWN miscues. For a team that has been so sound defensively all year to collapse and give up 4 unearned runs on 3 errors - THERE'S your difference. Without those miscues...my Cards are packing up their clubhouse today, instead of getting ready to face Washington...

[RattlerGator]

I don't disagree with you, TW, on the Braves beating themselves but I sure as hell would have loved to see how that rally would have played out in the spirit of the moment with Turner Field rocking.

[oxymoron]

Bad call by the umps and big time choke by the Braves who had 12 hits, only 3 runs and 3 big errors. Hats off to Gator fan Chipper Jones on a HOF career. The sports writers in Atlanta such as Schultz rave about what a standup guy Chipper has been.

[TWGator]

Yeah. Even as a Cards fan it sucks to see Chipper go out like that - making such a huge error that contributed so much to the outcome of the game. As a baseball fan - I'm gonna miss that guy...

[halleygator]

go7:

The reason behind the rule is to prevent the double play. The umps have to know that at some point (certainly 70 feet into the outfield), there is ZERO danger of the ball being intentionally dropped and then being picked up and thrown to third base and then second base BEFORE the runner from first can run to second...especially since the runner on first is always at least HALF WAY to second as those plays unfold.

So there was NO reason to "stretch" the call as the umpires did last night. All they did was open up a whole new can of worms in baseball.

Infielders for a century have used "decoys" and other tactics to win games. Every real fan of the game knows that infielders "deke" runners by faking the fielding of ground balls whenever a fly ball is hit. In fact, Lonnie Smith and the Braves lost a World Series due to this.

NOW... every time a fly ball is hit over an infielder's head in situations where the infield fly is in effect (runners at 1st and 2nd or bases loaded with less than two outs)... the infielder can just run out and start waving his arms and calling the ball... and get an automatic out.

TERRIBLE call. Made by an ump who wanted to look smart but was too dumb to know better. Something Ron Zook would have done.

[TruGator]

It was not a bad call. First, the rule requires an infielder to camp under the ball, and it does not matter if he is in the outfield when doing so. Kozma camped.

Second, the third base umpire and the left field umpire each lifted their arms to make the call the moment Kozma camped under the ball.

I don't think this is the proper analysis. The infield fly rule should be invoked on a play involving ordinary effort. The short stop running fifty feet into left field is not ordinary effort. Second, the call needs to be made immediately. The call last night was made a split second before the ball hit the ground. Terrible call.

[outbackjack]

It was not a bad call. First, the rule requires an infielder to camp under the ball, and it does not matter if he is in the outfield when doing so. Kozma camped.

Second, the third base umpire and the left field umpire each lifted their arms to make the call the moment Kozma camped under the ball.

Third, the Braves have players who have never experienced the stress of a do-or-die game, except perhaps those that they choked in last September. Those players made errors that little leaguers don't even make. To Chipper's credit, he said after the game that the call did not cost the Braves the game. But when a team is as hapless under pressure as the Braves, the self-serving impulse is to blame someone else. Let's not forget... the Braves blew almost every run-scoring opportunity they had last night. Braves got a gift two-run homer when the ump gave Ross a second chance to we another pitch after being struck out.

Braves fans are a disgrace to baseball. Throwing beer cans onto the playing field en masse. They should have been escorted out of the stadium -- none were -- and the Commissioner's office should have called a forfeit. It took 30 minutes to clean the field. The Cards' set-up man stood around on the mound and wasn't allowed to warm-up again after the delay. This meant lifting him and bringing in their closer an inning early. Ridiculous.

This was a bad day, but not because of any thing the umps did on the infield fly.


Go7

1. Wrong
2. Wrong

1. The infielder was never camped....he never even reached the spot the ball eventually landed. He was running the entire time, until the point of giving way.

2. The beauty of DVR is you can easily frame by frame this. The SS gives way, the umps arm is down, the ball is closing in on the grass, AND THEN THE ARM GOES UP.

There is ZERO debating it. Rewatch it.

[dunwoodychris]

Go7

1. Wrong
2. Wrong

1. The infielder was never camped....he never even reached the spot the ball eventually landed. He was running the entire time, until the point of giving way.

2. The beauty of DVR is you can easily frame by frame this. The SS gives way, the umps arm is down, the ball is closing in on the grass, AND THEN THE ARM GOES UP.

There is ZERO debating it. Rewatch it.

This...Go7 is wrong.

[Spurffelbow833]

Also annoying, and yet one more thing about modern sports media that I detest, is how the broadcast crew thought it was so necessary to lecture us on how everyone should feel about the fan reaction to the bad call.

And when a streaker disrupts a game, show the damn streaker! I don't care about your pious, politically correct sanctimony! I can decide for myself whether another person's actions are appropriate!

[viningsgator]

Haven't been at the game it was completely surreal. Once the official announcement was made the place went nuts.

The call itself has to be considered as one of the worst calls in MLB history. The call in itself didn't cost the Braves the game but it certainly robbed them of the opportunity. The Braves were awful defensively outside of Heyward's catch and could never quite seem to get a timely hit.

[Angaza]

Also annoying, and yet one more thing about modern sports media that I detest, is how the broadcast crew thought it was so necessary to lecture us on how everyone should feel about the fan reaction to the bad call.
The moralizing to the Braves fans was condescending. It seemed like an attempt to deflect off the bad call.

[daswamp]

what a bad call. looking at the replay, the ball was about 40 feet off the turf when the so called ump, called the infield fly rule. the throw was being made back to the infield when the third base upm raised his arm to signal the infield fly. bull crap. how can you blame the fans for such a bad call. in college football they might suspend or fire the ump for sduch a call.

[gatorcop]

It was not a bad call. First, the rule requires an infielder to camp under the ball, and it does not matter if he is in the outfield when doing so. Kozma camped.

Second, the third base umpire and the left field umpire each lifted their arms to make the call the moment Kozma camped under the ball.

Third, the Braves have players who have never experienced the stress of a do-or-die game, except perhaps those that they choked in last September. Those players made errors that little leaguers don't even make. To Chipper's credit, he said after the game that the call did not cost the Braves the game. But when a team is as hapless under pressure as the Braves, the self-serving impulse is to blame someone else. Let's not forget... the Braves blew almost every run-scoring opportunity they had last night. Braves got a gift two-run homer when the ump gave Ross a second chance to we another pitch after being struck out.

Braves fans are a disgrace to baseball. Throwing beer cans onto the playing field en masse. They should have been escorted out of the stadium -- none were -- and the Commissioner's office should have called a forfeit. It took 30 minutes to clean the field. The Cards' set-up man stood around on the mound and wasn't allowed to warm-up again after the delay. This meant lifting him and bringing in their closer an inning early. Ridiculous.

This was a bad day, but not because of any thing the umps did on the infield fly.

The LF umpire raised his hand 5.4 seconds into the 6 second play, and the 3B umpire made the call at 6.1 seconds, after the ball had landed. Both runners advanced without a play. The call is supposed to be made immediately and wasn't. And it is apparent that they made the bad call, that is supposed to protect the offense, when both advanced without a throw. Marginal or not, the MLB and Joe Torre (former Cardinals Manager), just like the NFL did against the Packers, supported a bad call.

I don't think that cost the Braves the game, 3 errors and 3 unearned runs did, but it was a game changer.

[trufloridagator]

It was not a bad call. First, the rule requires an infielder to camp under the ball, and it does not matter if he is in the outfield when doing so. Kozma camped.

Second, the third base umpire and the left field umpire each lifted their arms to make the call the moment Kozma camped under the ball.

Third, the Braves have players who have never experienced the stress of a do-or-die game, except perhaps those that they choked in last September. Those players made errors that little leaguers don't even make. To Chipper's credit, he said after the game that the call did not cost the Braves the game. But when a team is as hapless under pressure as the Braves, the self-serving impulse is to blame someone else. Let's not forget... the Braves blew almost every run-scoring opportunity they had last night. Braves got a gift two-run homer when the ump gave Ross a second chance to we another pitch after being struck out.

Braves fans are a disgrace to baseball. Throwing beer cans onto the playing field en masse. They should have been escorted out of the stadium -- none were -- and the Commissioner's office should have called a forfeit. It took 30 minutes to clean the field. The Cards' set-up man stood around on the mound and wasn't allowed to warm-up again after the delay. This meant lifting him and bringing in their closer an inning early. Ridiculous.

This was a bad day, but not because of any thing the umps did on the infield fly.

It was a bad day and proves why there should never be a 1 game playoff in a sport that has more variance than any other. What a joke

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

[willymayshayes]

Go7

1. Wrong
2. Wrong

1. The infielder was never camped....he never even reached the spot the ball eventually landed. He was running the entire time, until the point of giving way.

2. The beauty of DVR is you can easily frame by frame this. The SS gives way, the umps arm is down, the ball is closing in on the grass, AND THEN THE ARM GOES UP.

There is ZERO debating it. Rewatch it.

Agree. It was a horrible call.

[Gat0r]

Stevie Wonder thought it was a great call!!

[AndrewSpivey]

I wish I could post my comments in here but I don't want to think about the game anymore. Heartbreaking.

[dadx4]

That was a bs call period.

[romeg8r]

No Go7, the third base umpire did not make the call until after the left umpire made the call and then he just signalled the call to the infield. And distance from the plate MUST be considered with the infield fly rule. The 225 feet from home plate where this ball landed is longer than the longest infield fly rule that ESPN could find by 47 feet. It was a crap call. And it was crap call for the very reason that we saw. Because the ball was in that dead zone where it might fall. The infield fly rule is there to protect the runners from an infielder dropping the ball intentionally to turn a double or triple play. The fact that all runners were easily safe is evidence that the rule did not apply here.

[gatorbogey]

saw the replay - that was pretty deep to be an infield fly rule ball. can you only call 'infield fly rule' while the ball is in the air?

[scbeerman]

Another lifelong Braves fan who is heartbroken over the whole mess. Yes, the Braves made a mess of this game, throwing it all over the park, but that call was horrible. When that ball dropped, I never even considered the infield fly rule. On the other hand, when the catcher hit Simmons on his bunt attempt, I immediately thought that Simmons was out of the baseline (which was correctly ruled).

Baseball needs to make this a best of three playoff to minimize the effect of such a call.

[cbj349]

Halley has it correct.

[ASteele15]

I wish I could post my comments in here but I don't want to think about the game anymore. Heartbreaking.

Dude chippers gone, wierd

[halleygator]

Halley has it correct.

^
this


:joecool:

[gatoron89]

The one game playoff is horrible when you have a team that has the 4th best record in baseball and 6 games clear of the Cards and have it all come down to one game. The Braves beat themselves but anything thing can happen in one game. I hope MLB will modify the format going forward. Go Gators!!

[hocgators]

Just another example of baseball umpires hiding behind rules by being too literal with its interpretation. If these guys used a bit of common sense on plays like this, but even more important, agreed to CORRECT one another when they huddle to get a play correct. In football, you see refs change a call and wave off a flag all the time. But the smugness of baseball officials is suffocating. I could have cared less who won that baseball game last night, but as I watched the play, and how it was handled post play, I was upset.

[UFNut]

From a completely objective standpoint as someone who couldn't give two flips for either of these teams (or MLB in general), I think the call was valid. Was it a bit weak? Maybe, but it was valid. There is no distance requirement on the rule. The infielder stopped and was in position to make an easy catch, at which point the ump raised his fist and the play was dead, right there at that moment in time. Nothing else matters, play is over. FYI, I had to watch youtube replay cause I didn't watch the game.

From the official MLB rule book:
An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.
When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.”
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul.
If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.
Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder—not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.
When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05 (L). The infield fly rule takes precedence.

[gatorgunner]

Horrible call!

[scbeerman]

Pretty much every playoff scenario in all levels of baseball is at least double elimination. They have to make this best 2 out of 3.

I think they were trying to recreate the last day of the 2011 season, but they failed.

[romeg8r]

I'll put it like this. I have watched baseball since I was a kid. Literally thousands of games. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of pop flies hit out to that range in the outfield with runners on base. Many of those included an infielder going out and camping under the ball usually catching it. Not once have I seen the infield fly rule called that far into the outfield until last night. So, either hundreds and hundreds of umpires have blown that call or this moron blew this one.

[Gat0r]

^^Exactly. I can't even believe it's being debated. It was a horrible call, period.

[bakaduin]

I don't know why people are against single elimination playoffs. The best playoffs in all of sports is single elimination from start to finish (March Madness). There are plenty of other examples of single elimination and it adds more excitement (The World Cup and Champions League after group stages being two other examples).

[RattlerGator]

It's being debated because some people just can't resist being overly anal. And this is perhaps *the* textbook case in baseball of being overly anal.

That play had absolutely zero to do with why that rule was created and the people who insisted on it being made part of the game would probably beat the snot out of the fool who made that call or the crew who backed it up and refused to correct it on the spot.

[AustinGator1]

From a completely objective standpoint as someone who couldn't give two flips for either of these teams (or MLB in general), I think the call was valid. Was it a bit weak? Maybe, but it was valid. There is no distance requirement on the rule. The infielder stopped and was in position to make an easy catch, at which point the ump raised his fist and the play was dead, right there at that moment in time. Nothing else matters, play is over. FYI, I had to watch youtube replay cause I didn't watch the game.

From the official MLB rule book:
An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.
When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.”
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul.
If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.
Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder—not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.
When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05 (L). The infield fly rule takes precedence.



Not certain what play you saw but it wasn't the same one that we are all discussing from last night. You are absolutely correct in that there is no distance requirement. However, when he stopped he was absolutely not in position to make a catch (easy or otherwise). Your first clue would be that white round thing that hit the ground behind him and well out of his reach was THE BASEBALL. Apparantly, both you and the umpire never bothered to look for the ball when the player stopped. Just because the player stops does not mean he is ready to make a catch. Based on the fact he wasn't near where the ball landed I think we can rule out he was 'ready to make a easy catch.'

[AustinGator1]

Here is the play again. The ESPN guys do plenty of commentary on how bad the call was. If you don't want to listen to them then hit mute and watch the play over and over again. There is clearly no 'ordinary effort', the player is never 'settled under the ball'. As one of the ESPN guys points out, if there wasn't a LF Ump then the call never would have been made. Just a horrible, horrible call. I just hope this level of incompetency and arrogance by our Major League Umpires brings us closer to instant replay. This sort of 'call' is easily reversible with instant replay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuCD5IWchs

[romeg8r]

bakaduin, because baseball is unlike any other sport. You need at least three games to make it anything but a crapshoot. Basketball is a completely different story. And actually last night proved why one game is not enough in a postseason series. In a three game series, the Braves would have a chance to overcome the bad call. One bad call in basketball is unlikely to change a game as much as it can in baseball. It is assinine to have a one-game series in postseason baseball.

[AzCatFan]

The puropse of the infield fly rule is to protect the team at bat from the fielder intentionally dropping the ball and getting a cheap double play. And while there is no specific distance rule, if you watch the play, can anyone truly believe that the Cardinals would have enough time to intentionally drop the ball, throw to 3rd to get the lead runner and then to 2nd to get the other runner?

The fact is, both runners made it safely to 2nd and 3rd respectively without a throw! Look at the replay above and I think the LF would have had time to possibly get the lead runner at 3rd, or the runner at 2nd. But in no way would the Cards have had time to turn two.

And umpires throughout the history of baseball agree with me. It's why ESPN hasn't found an infield fly call within 47 feet of the call made yesterday! There just isn't enough time to pick up the ball and turn two from that distance. Remember, it's not like an outfielder backing up and catching the ball with momentum to make a throw. It's a fielder having to bend over, from a standstill, to pick up the ball then make the throw.

I knew MLB would close ranks and suport the umps. They really had little choice in overturning the call, especially after the game continued. The Cards still had a 3-run lead at the point and had a high probability of winning. They then threw their closer for 1.3 innings, and to have the protest upheld would put the Cards at a serious disadvantage for the next round, having to throw their closer for another inning or more. Still, I would have liked someone from MLB come out and say they will review the call and say at least it was questionable given the distance the ball traveled and the amount of time it took for the ump to finally make the call.

[74nole]

After the game the measurement was taken from home plate to where the ball landed----225' from homeplate. That's a fly ball to the outfield. I'll say it again, the best umpires I ever saw are the ones that when you're leaving the field---you don't even remember. Nobody comes to the game to watch the umpires, not even their wives.:joecool:

[gtr2x]

Didn't see it live, but sure looks like a bad call. Always hated the rule anyway, way too subjective for me, probably because I've been in the wrong end a few times. Still, no excuse for fans to act like j/asses.

Don't like the one game playoff, it's simple, win the division.

Hopefully the cards go down in the next round. Thought they used up all their good karma last yr.

[NitroSmoke]

MLB umpires are the most egotistical and arrogant officials of ANY SPORT. And its not even close. And for some reason MLB refuses to call them to the carpet when they fail. This was a HORRIBLE call made from an umpire in a position he is not accustomed to being. Now that instant replay is available for home runs, there is absolutely no need for them to be there anymore. But the union will raise hell if they cut them because of the $$$. Ridiculous.