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Thursday, September 04, 2008

MLB.com: Rodriguez Strikes Out on 4-2 Pitch

He may have struck out, but he sure did work the count!

With the Angels leading, 6-0, on their way to a 7-1 victory, home-plate umpire Tim Welke reset the count at 1-2 when the scoreboard showed 2-2 after consulting with Rodriguez and Tigers catcher Brandon Inge.

Rodriguez took two balls to take it to a 3-2 count officially—when he should have walked. He remained in the batter’s box, and on the next pitch, Tigers right-handed reliever Aquilino Lopez struck him out for the second out in the inning.

Seriously, this is happening an awful lot, isn’t it?

Jim Posted: September 04, 2008 at 08:33 PM | 27 comment(s)
Related News: Detroit, LA Angels

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1. scareduck Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:18 PM (#2929524)

Yes. I wanna say this happened to the Dodgers or Angels recently.

2. Baseballing powerhouse Crispix Attacks Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:37 PM (#2929546)

Andre Ethier drew a 5-ball walk from Joe Blanton less than two weeks ago.

3. Fred C. Dobbs Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:39 PM (#2929547)

This is a disgrace and makes me embarrassed to be an American.

4. The Joe Mauer Power Hour (kj) Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:43 PM (#2929550)

Happened last year to Alexi Casilla, too, IIRC.

Did anyone ever think we'd have to be afraid that MLB might use instant replay for the count?

5. Tom Nawrocki Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:49 PM (#2929558)

There was a play in a Rockies game the other day: Ian Stewart took a pitch that he thought was ball four, and trotted down to first. The announcers had thought he walked too, and the graphics on the screen showed that the count was 3-2 before that pitch. But the home plate umpire called him back, saying that was only ball three.

In the past I would have always assumed the umpire was right in that situation. Now I'm not so sure.

6. aleskel Posted: September 04, 2008 at 10:49 PM (#2929559)

This is a disgrace and makes me embarrassed to be an American.

I know. I'm watching the RNC too.

7. scareduck Posted: September 04, 2008 at 11:05 PM (#2929576)

#6 -- LOL!

8. akrasian Posted: September 04, 2008 at 11:36 PM (#2929596)

It's like the umps want MLB to have an excuse to replace much of their duties with replay.

What argument can the umps make about this? That they shouldn't be expected to be able to count? I don't want robots, but blatantly messing up balls and strikes twice in a few weeks is not helping their cause.

They're just lucky that the Angels won the game anyway. An appeal would have to be upheld.

9. Best Dressed Chicken in Town Posted: September 04, 2008 at 11:53 PM (#2929606)

Umps are bad at their jobs. End of story. Ordinarily "bad" is a relative term. Umps are so bad that they all qualify as bad. That's an impressive feat, in its own way. Does anyone think umps get much more than 50% of close calls correct? I doubt it. They're completely guessing. Might as well stick some monkeys out there. They treat tag plays like force plays. They're ####### arrogant. I can't go on, I'm too drunk and too mad. FCUK YOU UMPIRES YOU BLIND #########

10. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: September 05, 2008 at 12:14 AM (#2929620)

This is a disgrace and makes me embarrassed to be a white supremacist.

11. villageidiom Posted: September 05, 2008 at 12:38 AM (#2929631)

Were umpires also subject to the amphetamines ban?

12. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: September 05, 2008 at 12:52 AM (#2929639)

It would be a good idea to extend the walk to five balls anyhow.

And I still say that the best way to mitigate the loss of foul territory to premium seating is to make the third 2-strike foul ball be strike three.

13. Nathan Kunkel Posted: September 05, 2008 at 01:43 AM (#2929650)

Walks should be counted as hits

14. dahlian Kirby, children's author extraordinaire. Posted: September 05, 2008 at 02:12 AM (#2929658)

Seriously, this is happening an awful lot, isn’t it?

I believe it's twice happened to Orlando Hudson this season.

15. Stevis Posted: September 05, 2008 at 06:56 AM (#2929694)

Man, nobody lets me get away with messing this up when I ump Little League. One overbearing coach or the other is ump in my grill. What are the players and managers doing here that they miss this?

16. Russ Posted: September 05, 2008 at 07:16 AM (#2929697)

What are the players and managers doing here that they miss this?

Looking at the scoreboard? But even if you thought they made a mistake, it would be very difficult to argue with replay.

I just can't believe how much this is happening now. They may need for the 2nd base and third base umpires to begin recording the count.

17. Lassus Posted: September 05, 2008 at 07:31 AM (#2929699)

It's not particularly excusable, but any ONE person can screw up numbers. What I don't understand is how nobody else catches it. The manager is able to step out of the dugout, another player can tell a manager, an outcry from the CROWD even.

I'd get down more on the umps if it didn't seem like nobody can freaking count.

18. RB in NYC (Now with Christmas Spirit!) Posted: September 05, 2008 at 07:35 AM (#2929700)

So if I understand this correctly, Welke, Rodriguez and Inge discussed resetting the count, and still got it wrong? How is that possible?

19. bfan Posted: September 05, 2008 at 07:47 AM (#2929704)

it is terrible, but someone had the key point. the manager and coaches of the team being wronged are really sleeping on the job; ultimately, it is their job to protect the interests of their own team. That the umps miss this is terrible; that the managers miss it is malfeasance.

20. kevin Posted: September 05, 2008 at 07:52 AM (#2929705)

I think Coco Crisp benefitted from one of these screw-ups a few weeks a go too.

It's really inexcusable. Why doesn't the pitcher complain when he's got a K and the ump thinks it's 2 strikes?

Another use for the instant replay.

21. Greg Pope Posted: September 05, 2008 at 08:34 AM (#2929718)

That the umps miss this is terrible; that the managers miss it is malfeasance.

I can't really get too down on the umpires here. How many PAs do they see in a year? That a given ump messes up once a year is not terrible, or him being an idiot. Do the MLB umps use those clickers? Maybe there was an immediate distraction or something and he missed the click.

However, I'll agree that the wronged team in each case should be paying more attention.

22. John DiFool2 Posted: September 05, 2008 at 10:06 AM (#2929775)

Happened to Kevin Youkilis earlier this year too-you'd think Youks of all people would know what the count was and trot down to first, but he didn't even argue, just stood in there and took strike 3 on a 4-2 count.

Frankly I don't recall this happening at all in previous seasons. Counting the incidents recounted in this thread that makes about 6 this year, which is horrid and absolutely inexcusable.

23. GM Posted: September 05, 2008 at 10:37 AM (#2929813)

It's not particularly excusable, but any ONE person can screw up numbers. What I don't understand is how nobody else catches it. The manager is able to step out of the dugout, another player can tell a manager, an outcry from the CROWD even.

I think it's a lot like traffic lights, once you delegate that responsibility to something (or, in this case someone), you trust its judgement over your own. Several of the people you referred to may well have actually noticed, but once their impressions weren't corroborated, they simply deferred to the ump. The difference between this, and, say, Little League is that, well, I doubt any of the parents there defer a God damn thing.

24. Shredder Posted: September 05, 2008 at 01:39 PM (#2930049)

Walks should be counted as hits

I think they should count as errors.

25. Jim Posted: September 05, 2008 at 02:34 PM (#2930117)

I think they should count as errors.

Or maybe sacrifice flies.

26. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: September 05, 2008 at 04:06 PM (#2930279)

Sometimes the umps don't make their balls & strikes calls all that distinguishable - the announcers/scorekeepers may think a strike was a ball, couple of fouls and balls later and you can have a supposed 4-2 count.

27. Best Dressed Chicken in Town Posted: September 05, 2008 at 04:19 PM (#2930304)

Sometimes the umps don't make their balls & strikes calls all that distinguishable

Well, remember it's more important that umps each have their own distinctive timing and movements than that those movements be intelligible. After all, they're performers who people pay hundreds of dollars to see.

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MLB.com: Rodriguez Strikes Out on 4-2 Pitch

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