Hello all! I would first like to introduce myself. My name is Darryn Carman and I am the newest blogger for the Toronto Blue Jays here on ChatSports. I will be bringing you a large variety of topics and it seems to me my first revolves around controversy.
Looking at the score sheet you see a 3-2 loss for the Jays, but in the eyes of many Blue Jays fans, they see another blown call that has cost the Jays potentially another win (no need to remind you of the April 9th "interference" call against Yunel Escobar versus the Angels).
After a combined 5.2 innings of no-hit baseball from the Boston Red Sox, the Jays surged a rally in the 9th off of closer Jonathan Papelbon. A lead-off single from Corey Patterson was followed by a 2-run blast from Jose Bautista (his ML-leading 28th) to bring the Jays within a run.
It was then with 2 outs and runners on first and second that the hero denied of his cape, John McDonald, stepped up to the plate. He drove an 0-2 fastball sharply into shallow left field which forced Edwin Encarnacion to put on the wheels in hopes of tying the game.
The throw from Sox left fielder Darnell McDonald was hard and on line to home plate. As Encarnacion slides home, Jason Varitek denies him with his left leg, however, the designated hitter found a way around as his right heel graces home plate.
Tie game right? WRONG!
Home plate umpire Brian Knight punches out Encarnacion without a doubt and it is a 3-2 victory for the Sox. Once the call was made, speculation began. Fans, players and even broadcasters all had something to say. The biggest sound off of them all would be Blue Jays manager John Farrell, who is sounding off for the 2nd time in 5 days.
"We should still be playing right now," Farrell states in a post game interview, "It was clear that Edwin did a good job sliding around the plant leg of 'Tek, but his swipe tag missed him by no less than a foot. So right now, we should be out on that field playing."
While one can go out and blame the human nature of the game, the leash can only go out so far. There are plenty of blown ball/strike calls daily for an umpire, fair/foul calls have their days, and obviously home runs are not much of an issue nowadays. But a crucial call that decides the end or continuation of a game, is something that one cannot go forth and make without any doubt.
Umpire Brian Knight made that call before the play ever sunk into his mind. I believe that once he saw the original block from Varitek, he was thinking out all the way, and while it appears Encarnacion proved his theory wrong, his mindset was not changed and the Jays unfortunately took a tough "L".
But life goes on and tomorrow is another day. The Jays send their ace, Ricky Romero to the mound in hopes of taking the rubber match and perhaps retaining some justice.
And if the picture above doesn't do it for ya, See the play for yourself. Let me know what you think.
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