The Chris Moeller Archives

The Wild CARDS prevail again!

Correct call in Atlanta tonight on the infield fly rule: shortstop is camped under the ball, could make the play with no difficulty, runners on first and second and less than two out (one).  According to the rule book, umpire has discretion-- not to mention the obligation-- to call the infield fly, as soon as he sees this. Contrary to TBS TV reporting after the fact, the call wasn't even late by the umpire. He couldn't call it until the shortstop got underneath, and it was a very high fly ball. It looks like a bad call to the fans because when the ball drops, it looks like the umpire assumed something that didn't happen. But the ball didn't drop because Pete Kozma couldn't catch it. Every honest fan of any rooting interest has to admit that. He let it drop because he thought he had been called off by the left fielder. I guarantee you most fans squawking don't realize either that the infield fly rule can-- and often does-- apply to balls hit into the outfield. As broadcaster Ron Darling pointed out, an infield fly can be correctly called on a ball hit to the warning track, in theory. The umpire's hand went up before the ball dropped. That's also not in dispute, so Braves and their fans know, deep down, that they're trying to steal something here.

The Cardinals, not the Braves, should have played the game under protest because the reaction of the fans throwing garbage on the field caused an 18 minute delay. The Cardinals' reliever had to wait through that entire time, preparing to throw a pitch with a three run lead, and the tying run, a six-time All-Star, coming to the plate. In Major League Soccer, the game officials immediately issue a forfeit, or make an announcement threatening forfeit for the home team in such a situation. A warning here would have been absolutely appropriate. Tonight, because there wasn't, the Cardinals were then compelled to remove that relief pitcher during the half-inning, when he was due to bat first in the following. The Cardinals' manager goes to his closer early with this necessity, and has to employ a double-switch. Because the pitcher is in the 6th spot, the player doubled out of the lineup has to come from the heart of the Cardinals' batting order. For defensive purposes, it's slugger Matt Holliday, but it's still a 3-run game, the tying run is up, and Holliday has been on base four times in the game, including a dinger. Very difficult situation for the Cardinals-- to say nothing of the fact that Braves fans are throwing beer bottles onto the field of play when nine of the players are standing out there. It was a shameful, shameful scene in a way that had nothing to do with the umpires.

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On an unrelated note, who's going to stop this Cardinal train again this year! Possibly nobody. What unbelievable poise displayed by this team tonight. While the Braves kicked the ball around for three errors, the Cardinals, in a do-or-die game, beat a pitcher that had given his team, entering tonight, a 23-game winning streak in games he had started-- a friggin' Major League Baseball record! Just terrific. The Cards overcame their own bad, late call in the second inning, when the home plate umpire granted a Braves batter a late time out request during a strike three pitch with two outs. (The Braves batter proceeded to homer for two of the Braves' three runs.)

The team that played the best game won tonight, and the best team in baseball-- as the Cardinals have been continuously since August 25th of 2011, grinding to victory after victory despite the losses of their best position player (maybe ever), their ace pitcher for almost all of this year, their Hall of Fame manager, and his Hall of Fame pitching coach-- are still refusing to die.

11:33pm update: MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, "It looked, to me, like it was infield fly." Umpiring supervisor Charlie Reliford also points out tonight that umpires are instructed not to call the infield fly rule until the ball is descending-- to avoid misjudgment on their part. This is exactly what umpire Sam Holbrook did. Asked if he got the call right after the game, Holbrook says, "Absolutely."

posted by CM @ 8:05 PM