Confusing Call Still Has Baseball Buzzing

Sean Mota

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Sep 8, 2003
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By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer 46 minutes ago
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CHICAGO - Ah, an off day in the AL championship series, a chance for the Angels and White Sox to take a little break out West. But everyone else in baseball was still buzzing — not about a long home run or splendid pitching performance. Instead, all the chatter centered on the confusing call Wednesday night that helped decide Game 2 in Chicago.

Strike three on A.J. Pierzynski in the bottom of the ninth inning has already been replayed over and over. And it‘ll be scrutinized, dissected and debated for years to come — especially if the White Sox get past the Angels and reach the World Series for the first time since 1959.

So, in a morning-after routine that, in October, becomes as customary as coffee and doughnuts, fans all across the country headed for the water coolers at work Thursday to argue over a wild finish. And this one was a doozy.

"Did the ball really bounce?"

Given a second chance when plate umpire Doug Eddings called strike three — but not the third out — the White Sox beat Los Angeles 2-1 on Joe Crede‘s two-out double in the ninth to even the best-of-seven ALCS at a game apiece.

But hey, things aren‘t always what they seem in Chicago — home of the Black Sox scandal, Al Capone and at least one or two shady elections.

In a sequence as strange as any seen on a baseball field, Pierzynski swung at and missed a low pitch from Los Angeles reliever Kelvim Escobar, appearing to end the ninth inning with the score tied at 1.

Still, Pierzynski whirled around and ran to first — just in case. Positive the inning was over, Paul rolled the ball out to the mound with the Angels already coming off the field, so Pierzynski was easily safe.

Not this time.

And, as if it were destined to end this way, pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna quickly stole second before Crede lined an 0-2 pitch into the left-field corner for a game-winning double.

That left the umpires right where they don‘t want to be — in the middle of a postseason dispute. Eddings said all the right things after the game, he just didn‘t sound so sure of himself.

"I didn‘t have him catching the ball," said Eddings, a major league ump since 1999 who is working his third postseason assignment.

That said, plate umpires are trained to shout "no catch!" or something to indicate the ball is in play. Eddings was silent.

Maybe instant replay could have helped. Baseball took a look at going high-tech last November, but put aside the topic after general managers split a 15-15 vote on whether to keep exploring the subject.

The NFL, NBA, NHL and now nearly every major college football conference all use some form of replay. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has said he is against it and can veto any proposal by anyone to give it a try.

Even the upsetting loss Wednesday night didn‘t change Scioscia‘s mind.

"I‘m not in favor of replay at all," he said.

And because it was a judgment call, there was nothing Scioscia could‘ve done at the time, either.

"No, it‘s not protestable. He‘s saying he didn‘t call him out," the manager said.

Game 3 is Friday in Anaheim, with John Lackey scheduled to pitch against Chicago‘s Jon Garland. Tired from all their overnight travel lately, the Angels planned to skip the conventional off-day workout Thursday in their own ballpark, choosing instead to let their players rest.

Eddings probably won‘t have a quiet time the next time out. He‘s scheduled to work the right-field line in Game 3 — with the low-slung wall in Anaheim, he‘s sure to hear it from the Angels fans.

In the meantime, baseball has another October argument on its hands — reminiscent of Reggie Jackson not budging in the baseline during the 1978 World Series, Don Denkinger blowing a big call that cost the Cardinals in ‘85, Kent Hrbek lifting Ron Gant off first base in ‘91 and 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reaching over the right-field wall in the 1996 ALCS.

And these playoffs, now missing the Yankees, Red Sox, Barry Bonds or any famous "curses," suddenly offer plenty to talk about.

On Sunday, the Braves and Astros played 18 innings in Houston for the longest postseason game ever, highlighted by 43-year-old Roger Clemens coming out of the bullpen to rescue the Astros.

Now this.

What‘s next?
 
Another perspective

Ozzie should just keep quiet

Not that Ozzie Guillen didn't do his best Thursday to throw a match on the flickering ashes. In remarks that probably won't be taken seriously by the Angels, in that he also praised manager Mike Scioscia for handling the Wednesday night episode with class, the Blizzard of Oz targeted Paul for blame. This came after Guillen tried to spin things by saying firmly, "The ball hit the dirt,'' when he really has no idea. Shouldn't Ozzie have kept his trap shut after getting away with the crime of the current baseball century?

"I think Josh Paul made everything confused,'' Guillen said. "Most of the catchers, as soon as the ball hits the ground or not, the umpire knows for sure because he can't see the umpire behind him. He didn't know if he was calling safe or out. Most of the guys tag the [runner], just for insurance. Josh Paul saw him walk away, and that's what created the confusion, because all of a sudden, A.J. don't feel when he touch him. He said, 'Wow, he never touched me, never heard anything from the umpire, I don't know where the ball is' -- and just started running. Josh created a little confusion there with the umpire.''

Yeah, and Paris Hilton is a misunderstood angel up there on the Sunset Strip. Rather than politic, the Blizzard should be thankful the Sox weren't the victimized party, whereupon he would have stormed around U.S. Cellular Field like the Tasmanian Devil. Whether the baseball actually hit the dirt or not will be debated for years, with no one entirely sure about the truth -- after 24 hours of replays -- except maybe Paul, who says he caught the ball cleanly but speaks with obvious bias.

"It was the wrong call,'' said Paul, whose distinction as a former Sox catcher and boyhood fan only adds intrigue. "When you know you catch the ball, you just roll it back to the mound and walk off the field. It's not my fault. I take no responsibility for that whatsoever.''

Now make use of huge break



Actually, Guillen is right about Paul in one respect. How many times do catchers unnecessarily tag batters after a third strike, simply to be safe instead of sorry? At such an important juncture -- Game 2, AL Championship Series, bottom of the ninth, 1-1 game -- I'm tagging out a batter on a third-out third strike as a precaution.

But that's Ozzie, always making news. He isn't happy that media and fans are jazzed by this story, figuring we should be applauding Mark Buehrle for his complete-game gem and the Sox for manufacturing their own charm. "Don't forget what we did to win the game,'' Guillen said. "I don't want to concentrate on the calls.'' He even shooed away his sons as they watched the replays in his office.

All Pierzynski's romp did, remember, was give the Sox a runner at first with two out. Joe Crede still had to deliver the game-winning double, which had nothing to do with the umps and everything with getting to Kelvim Escobar. The Sox should smile, shrug and give extra thanks to their personal gods, then prepare themselves the best they can to take full advantage of the gift and win this series. If they go on to lose now, after receiving a break of historic magnitude, they might never win a World Series.

"I feel sorry for the ump. I feel sorry for Josh. I feel sorry for me. I feel sorry for Crede. I feel sorry for everybody,'' Pierzynski said. "I feel sorry it happened. And I feel sorry it's turned into such a national story, because there are so many other good things that came out of the game that people should be talking about. Instead they're talking about a weird play that never happens.''

Sox lucky they're not down 0-2



Other than Buehrle, you can't say the Sox deserved to win Game 2. There were too many baserunning blunders, too many missed opportunities by Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and a lineup that has managed four runs in two games against starting pitchers running on fumes. The Sox looked tight and restless at the plate and are fortunate not to be down 0-2 heading into Angel Stadium, a park that traditionally treats them rudely.

A.J.'s punking of the ump isn't unlike steroids and other issues in Selig's domain. Just once, I'd like to see Bud and his people proactively stomp out a problem -- even an umpire's arm mechanics -- before it infects the big picture. Shouldn't an official or umpiring supervisor be teaching the distinction between a fist-clench/arm-pump and a verbal out call? Baseball is complicated enough to leave a significant decision so vague when the world is watching so closely.

Naturally, one of Bud's guys was in a defense mode Thursday. Said vice president of umpiring Mike Port: "Doug Eddings, all things considered, did nothing wrong.''

Baseball, all things considered, laid a rotten egg atop a compelling series.

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This is L.A. baseball?

I'm done with the NHL for life:

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