The Atlanta Braves know the MLB league office screwed them over big time with their bungled replay gaffe of epic proportions for the whole world to see on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Atlanta Braves players have every reason to be furious with the MLB league office after Sunday night’s absolutely horrendous execution of video replay review.
The play in question came in the top of the ninth when Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm tried to tag up from third on a short fly ball to left field. Knowing that Braves left fielder Marcell Ozuna does not have a strong arm, Bohm decided to make a break for it. Though he did not touch the plate under any circumstances, he was called safe by the home plate umpire.
This was the deciding run on a nationally televised game between two NL East rivals. Despite there being five different camera angles at their disposal, the MLB got it so horribly wrong. You and I have something in common with Bohm in that none of us touched home plate at the top of the ninth inning at Truist Park on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball from Atlanta. What a clown show.
“In real time, it’s bang-bang,” said Braves starter Drew Smyly in a postgame presser. “We have five different angles on a national televised game, and it’s clear that his foot didn’t touch the plate. That it was on the chalk. For MLB not to overturn that, it’s embarrassing. Why even have replay if you won’t overturn that?”
“They said there wasn’t enough evidence, but there were five different angles. It’s clear. He didn’t touch the plate.”
Though Smyly voiced his frustrations at the podium, you need to hear what the man who actually applied the tag behind the dish had to say.
“Initially, I didn’t know if he was safe or out, but after watching the replay, it looked like his foot didn’t touch the bag, from any angle we saw,” said Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud at the podium. “I thought he was clearly out at the plate.”
“It makes me not even want [replay] anymore. It just slows the game down. To me, they got it wrong. I’d just rather not have it and get the game going.”
The Atlanta Braves prove the MLB has no interest in ever getting it right
There is no reason for baseball to apologize to the Braves for screwing them out of another game. It is abundantly clear video replay only exists to enable umpires to continue to make awful calls. The video from directly behind home plate showed Bohm’s foot missed scoring a run by well over a foot. It is early in the season, but the Braves could have been in a first-place tie if not for this.
Ultimately, this is a regular-season game. There will be controversial plays throughout the season for all 30 big-league clubs. However, for Braves Country to get as bottle-throwing mad as they did during Infield Fly Rule, you know the officiating was absolutely rancid. Shortstop Dansby Swanson may have said throwing trash on the field was a bad look, but the call at home was even worse.
Here is to baseball doing better, even though we know damn well they are not going to try here.