A Blown Call That Hurt The Red Sox Could Be Good For Baseball In The Long Run
With the Rays leading 2-1 in the eighth inning, runners on second and third, and just one out, Brandon Snyder hit what looked like a game-tying sacrifice fly to left field. But Daniel Nava was called out at home on Sam Fuld's throw and the Rays went on to win the game by the same score (see video and image below).
Replays showed that Nava was most likely safe as the umpire was in a bad position behind the catcher.
As far as blown calls go, this was not that terrible. It was a very close play and it wasn't until the video was shown frame-by-frame that it became clear that the call was wrong.
If this call went against the Pirates or the A's, few people would notice. But this call went against one of baseball's marquee teams and may have cost the Red Sox a chance to remain in first place.
Today, Red Sox fans are screaming for more replay, and major media outlets, such as ESPN, are wondering aloud if replay should be expanded to include plays at the plate.
It was a bad call. But if this is what it takes to force baseball into the 21st century, then ultimately, it is good for the sport.
