The umps were not just tired of being there... at least not THAT umpire - Jerry Meals is pretty well regarded as a professional. The replays are inconclusive. If there was a tag it was the slightest of brushes on the leg. In fact, the ONLY angle that you could possibly tell if there was space between the runners leg and the catcher's Mitt was the angle that the umpire had. Instead of instant reply mount a camera to the umpire's forehead! All that being said, the throw beat him and had he been called out the Braves would not have argued. Way too often in the pros you are called out when you should be out, whether you are actually technically out or not.

Those who think this was the worst call ever have very short memories. I could name a LOT more that were worse than this - Denkinger/Andujar, Jeffery Maier, Tim McClelland's World Series call at third, just to name a few.

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The pic is from a high angle so of course it looks like a tag. Look at the same picture from a even level and I doubt it shows a tag.

The umps were not just tired of being there... at least not THAT umpire - Jerry Meals is pretty well regarded as a professional. The replays are inconclusive. If there was a tag it was the slightest of brushes on the leg. In fact, the ONLY angle that you could possibly tell if there was space between the runners leg and the catcher's Mitt was the angle that the umpire had. Instead of instant reply mount a camera to the umpire's forehead! All that being said, the throw beat him and had he been called out the Braves would not have argued. Way too often in the pros you are called out when you should be out, whether you are actually technically out or not.

Those who think this was the worst call ever have very short memories. I could name a LOT more that were worse than this - Denkinger/Andujar, Jeffery Maier, Tim McClelland's World Series call at third, just to name a few.

 

Agreed. They don't make calls to get out of there. What about Joyce/Galarraga?

It's the worst call I've ever seen to end a game. It beats Eric Gregg's strike three call in the Marlins/Braves playoff game a few years back.

 

And name me the last time you saw an umpire call a runner out when the throw beats the runner by three or more feet? It just doesn't happen.

And also, the picture that is posted proves absolutely nothing other than where the mitt was after it passed the leg that it may or may not have brushed. Remember, 1/100 of a second before that frame was shot the runners leg was a foot closer to third while the catcher's mitt was under the runner's arm.

Agreed. They don't make calls to get out of there. What about Joyce/Galarraga?

It was a missed call, but when you see it in real time it was a ridiculously close play. if that call happens in the 5th inning of a 6-2 game it doesn't even make the news. The calls i referenced were BLOWN calls - ones EVERYBODY knew were wrong because they were so obvious to everyone else.

And name me the last time you saw an umpire call a runner out when the throw beats the runner by three or more feet? It just doesn't happen.

 

That's the key here. I bet the Reds announcers mention this twice a week, at least. Unless there is some sort of crazy sliding, like the Tigers guy avoiding the A's catcher last week, then the call will always be "out." And this was no different.

That's the key here. I bet the Reds announcers mention this twice a week, at least. Unless there is some sort of crazy sliding, like the Tigers guy avoiding the A's catcher last week, then the call will always be "out." And this was no different.

 

That does not make it correct. By that logic, had his swipe been a little faster and he missed him completely, you'd say the call should've been out. I hate little things like them calling it out whenever the ball gets there first or the stupid "in the area" of second base logic. The rules of the game are there, call what happens. In this case him not calling it based on the usual looks to be wrong, but it is not always nor should it be treated as so.

Told you pictures can be deceiving. Not saying this proves he was safe, but the other picture doesn't prove he was out.

My co-workers and I watched this about 50 times today. I saw NOTHING that gave me definitive proof either way. Don't see how anyone else can say it definitely should have went a certain way. Pretty sure with instant replay the call on the field would have stood.

My co-workers and I watched this about 50 times today. I saw NOTHING that gave me definitive proof either way. Don't see how anyone else can say it definitely should have went a certain way. Pretty sure with instant replay the call on the field would have stood.

 

From some angles he looks out, from others he looks safe. Not sure how anyone could be certain though. Definitely not the worst call ever made, like some have claimed.

From some angles he looks out, from others he looks safe. Not sure how anyone could be certain though. Definitely not the worst call ever made, like some have claimed.

 

The last replay seemed to be the most telling to me. It certainly looked like he tagged him to me, but it definitely isn't worse than the Denkinger blown call in the 1985 World Series. Not even close.

He missed the tag. Not a blown call. Saw several replays on Sportcenter this morning.

 

It's not as cut and dry as it should've been given how far the throw beat him by, but it does appear like he might have brushed his leg right at the beginning. But from the ump's angle, I can see how it would look like a whiff. It was a bad way to end a 19 inning game.

 

I don't understand how anyone could say definitively that he was tagged from the angles provided. The ump was right on top of it and like VOR said, when the ball beats the runner they're usually automatically out.

 

From the pics and video nothing is definitive. The ump had a better view than any pIcture or vid will ever give us. Pictures can be very deceiving.

 

The pic is from a high angle so of course it looks like a tag. Look at the same picture from a even level and I doubt it shows a tag.

 

This is all the proof that I need that a tag was made. Both MLB and the umpire admit that the call was missed. From Joe Torre: "Unfortunately, it appears that the call was missed, as Jerry Meals acknowledged after the game," Joe Torre, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, said in a statement. "Many swipe tags are not applied to the runner with solid contact, but the tag was applied and the game should have remained tied. I have spoken with Jerry, who is a hard-working, respected umpire, and no one feels worse than him. We know that this is not a product of a lack of effort."

This is all the proof that I need that a tag was made. Both MLB and the umpire admit that the call was missed. From Joe Torre: "Unfortunately, it appears that the call was missed, as Jerry Meals acknowledged after the game," Joe Torre, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, said in a statement. "Many swipe tags are not applied to the runner with solid contact, but the tag was applied and the game should have remained tied. I have spoken with Jerry, who is a hard-working, respected umpire, and no one feels worse than him. We know that this is not a product of a lack of effort."

 

In my post that you quoted, I said that it appeared it brushed his leg right at the beginning, so I agreed that a tag was made. I merely stated that I can see how from the umpire's angle it might have looked like a whiff, and I stand by that. Even with the benefit of many replays, it is still very hard to determine. It looked like the tip of his glove caught his knee. It is not the glaring miss that many have made it out to be, and nothing will change my opinion on that.

Watch Lugo's reaction. He made an effort to retag home plate after he was called safe. He made no effort before the call because he thought he was out.