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Umps avoided joining pantheon of bad playoff calls

By
Social Links for Jonathan Lehman
Published Oct. 24, 2013, 6:08 p.m. ET
AP

The stakes could not have been much higher when the six-man umpiring crew gathered in the Fenway Park infield Wednesday night to sort out a disputed play in the first inning of Game 1 of the World Series: Did Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma catch the ball and hold it long enough to record a force out at second, or did he just drop it? Without the benefit of replay, which will be instituted for next year’s postseason, the umps managed to confirm what TV viewers could plainly see and got it right: Safe. The men in blue thus avoided the shame of having their decision rank alongside these brutal playoff blown calls from baseball history:

  1. 1. Stop and Fisk in the '75 Series

     

    Oct. 14, 1975: In the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, the Reds’ Ed Armbrister dropped down a bunt in front of the plate. Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk (later the waving, homering hero of Game 6) crashed into Armbrister as he fielded the ball in front of the plate and threw it into center field. Home plate umpire Larry Barnett declined to call interference, helping the Big Red Machine win the game and the series to prolong the Red Sox curse.

  2. 2. Denkinger is Royally missed

    Imperfect Game Baseball
    AP

    Oct. 26, 1985: Umpire Don Denkinger rules Kansas City’s Jorge Orta safe at first base in Game 6 of the World Series. The Royals win the game and the series from the Cardinals.

  3. 3. Maier call a real reach

    AP96100903216.jpg
    AP

    Oct. 9, 1996: Who can forget 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier’s reaching to scoop a Derek Jeter line drive over the right-field fence at Yankee Stadium for a “home run” in Game 1 of the ALCS? Right field umpire Richie Garcia missed it, much to the displeasure of the Orioles’ Tony Tarasco.  

  4. 4. Why'd he miss it? Cuzzi's blind

    Yankees Melky Cabrera misses what was ruled a foul ball hit Minnesota Twins Joe Maur during their MLB baseball game in New York
    Reuters

    Oct. 9, 2009: In the 11th inning of ALDS Game 2, Joe Mauer’s fly ball down the left-field line lands in fair territory near Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera, but is ruled foul by umpire Phil Cuzzi, who is staring right at it. The Twins don’t score in the inning and go on to lose the series. 

  5. 5. Holbrook flunks a 'pop' quiz

    Wild Card Game - St Louis Cardinals v Atlanta Braves
    Getty Images

    Oct. 5, 2012: Hey, it’s Pete Kozma again. In the first one-game Wild Card playoff round, Cardinals shortstop Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday let a shallow popup fall between them — but umpire Sam Holbrook dubiously invoked the infield fly rule, calling the batter out and dooming the Braves to a 6-3 loss.