WTF!
Check out the above screengrab from yesterdays game. Shown is Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco scoring on a single in the second inning to score the first run of the game... But, did he really score? Clearly, he is at least a foot away from home plate. (you can watch a GIF of it here) Nevertheless, no replay was requested, the run counted and the Dodgers lost 2-1. Per Liz Roscher at Yahoo Sports:
Umpire Will Little was fooled, too. As the home plate umpire, he was tasked with making those tough plays, and he missed it. After the game, Grandal told The Athletic that he wasn’t amused.
“I obviously didn’t know if he’d touched it or not,” Grandal said. “The first thing I said was, ‘Did he tag the plate?’ And (Little) said, ‘Yes.’”
That, Grandal said, left him with no choice.
“If he calls him safe and is telling me he tagged the plate,” Grandal said, “there’s no reason to go and tag him.”It's amazing that no one wearing Blue noticed -- not Dave Roberts, not any of the players in the dugout and not any of the fans who had a bird's-eye view of the play. Nobody saw it; therefore, nobody put up a stink. In a game filled with over 40,000 hometown fans, I find this to be amazing. Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1955 the Brooklyn Dodgers set a franchise record when they hit six home runs in a game during their victory over the Milwaukee Braves at Ebbets Field. Duke Snider hit three homers in the contest (becoming the first Dodger to do it twice), to go along with home runs by Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella. In 1962 Don Drysdale defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for the 13th consecutive time - a streak that began in 1958. I remember this next incident so well. In 1997 Wilton Guerrero shattered his bat during an at-bat and immediately scrambled to pick up the bat pieces instead of running to first base. Obviously, home plate umpire Steve Ripley got suspicious and subsequently searched the remains. Ripley found cork, ejected Guerrero and then the league suspended for eight games.
- Happy Birthday, Otto Miller, Ty Tyson, Ray Moore, Chuck Templeton, Ken McMullen & Derek Lowe!