A division on the line, a postseason spot on the air, and it all could have come down to a blatant missed call on a Tuesday night in the regular season.
Okay, a little dramatic. But the possibility of that outcome becoming a reality is certainly real.
The Guardians and White Sox were tied at three in the seventh inning and the Guardians threatened to regain momentum in a crucial game and series. Amed Rosario was third when a ball was hit into shallow left field and Elvis Andrus tried to throw it out and go home, then Rosario was called out.
You can rate it:
Rosario is safe. It’s not even close.
However, Terry Francona used his challenge the inning before for a steal that Rosario thought tagged the runner. They lost the challenge and the ability to reuse it.
The whole “replay review” concept in baseball makes no sense. The crew chief took a few minutes to judge a foul ball for the White Sox that didn’t come close to a home run in the seventh inning. And if this play on record had happened in the eighth, they could have even rated it without challenge.
Why not just watch every potential scoring game like the NFL does?
This isn’t just a Guardians-White Sox issue, it’s a baseball issue and another example of the abuse of repeat reviews in sports. Basketball, football, and even hockey are getting it, but it’s still a work in progress for the MLB. At this point, anyone can guess when they know how to use it properly.
Of course, the game tied at three in extra innings, even though it should have been over.
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Fortunately, it didn’t affect the outcome of the game and the Guardians were still able to take the win. Still, it is a problem that has yet to be solved.
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