Umpires’ whiffed calls upset players, fans
TORONTO — Jose Bautista and fans of the Toronto Blue Jays want answers.
Rally towels — given out to fans before the game — rained down on the field Friday after Toronto lost to the Rangers 6-4 in 14 innings and Texas took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series. The Rangers’ winning run was Rougned Odor, who was singled home by Hanser Alberto.
Odor may have been tagged out by Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki during the previous at bat. Replays showed Tulowitzki had applied a tag while Odor slid back in to the base after Chris Gimenez’s single to right field.
However, Odor’s foot bounced off the base as the shortstop got his glove down on the runner’s leg. Whether or not Odor got his foot back on the bag fast enough or if Tulowitzki tagged him in time was debatable.
Umpires on the field called Odor safe and video review from Major League Baseball’s offices in New York upheld that decision, although fans at Rogers Centre voiced their displeasure.
“I saw it during the game. They replayed it on the big screen,” said Bautista. “I would like to hear an answer from the replay booth in New York on why they made the decision. I know that’s not part of the protocol and it seems pretty convenient that it’s not.
“Will we ever get an answer? Will our fans ever get an answer? I don’t know.”
Rangers manager Jeff Banister thought that the officials made the right call. He said that even if the umpires had ruled Odor out after the review he would have respected the decision.
“We felt like that he was on the bag, that’s what we thought of it,” said Banister.
Home plate umpire Vic Carapazza was also regularly booed by Blue Jays fans for his strike zone. Toronto hitters were visibly frustrated with some of his called strikes, with many stopping to exchange words with him before returning to the dugout.