Let me set the stage: It's Marlins versus Phillies in a game the Marlins really need after three straight losses. They were down 2-0 but got four to get the lead. In the top of the ninth, the Phillies got two to tie. In the bottom of the inning, Hanley Ramirez got hit by a pitch and got to second with one out on a steal. Up comes rookie Gaby Sanchez, who hit a ball down the line right in front of umpire Bob Davidson. Here's what happened:
Anderson's bad call stole a walk-off hit from Sanchez and a crucial win from Florida.
The Marlins, as I'm typing this, just lost 5-4 in the tenth.
"That was the worst call I've seen in my 30 years of professional baseball," Marlins Manager Edwin Rodriguez said after the game. "That was bad."
Rodriguez also said Davidson told him the play wasn't even close, that it was a foul ball, and refused to ask for help from the other umps.
UPDATE: I thought it couldn't get worse, but it did. Davidson after the game stood by his call and continued to insist it was foul. After watching replays, Davidson insisted he made the correct call. "I was right on top of it, and it was wide of the bag," he told the AP. "What the ball did when it went past me is irrelevant... I understand that's the winning run, but in my opinion, it was foul."
The ball dropped fair in front of his feet.
Look inside to see the latest ad from the Gunzburger camp attacking politico-lobbyist Steve Geller for his ties to Ponzi schemers. About time!
