The Blue Jays are in the middle of an intense post-season race 鈥 a last-place-team turned first-place-team, hanging on to their hopes of skipping past the first round by only a thread.
The New York Yankees are one game back. The Blue Jays have the tiebreaker. There are five games left.
If the Blue Jays finish above or tied with the Yankees, they will win the AL East. If the Yankees pass the Jays, 海角社区官网will be thrown into the chaos of the three-game wild-card series that has doomed them three times in the past five seasons. The team needs all the help it can get.
But that help has not come from the umpires, who, in the eyes of many fans, have fumbled at least three key calls recently. For a team that has lost five of its past six games, that has not been appreciated.
Here is a Blue Jays fan鈥檚 guide to all the questionable calls made by the umpires in recent days.
Called foul and not reviewable
The latest blow came on Tuesday, as the Blue Jays scramble to win as many of their remaining games as possible.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, George Springer laced a ball down the third base line that appeared to pass over the third base bag, which would make it a fair ball. But umpire Scott Barry called it foul, rendering the ball dead and wiping a pair of runs off the board for Toronto.
MLB does not allow replay reviews on foul balls that land between home plate and the first or third base umpire.
George Springer was not happy after being called out on strikes, after the previous pitch he made contact on was ruled foul.
鈥 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
In his聽, manager John Schneider said it was a fair ball.
“I thought it was fair. People in our replay room thought it was fair,” he said. “From my vantage point, from George’s, and from replay’s we did have, it should’ve been a two-run double.”
On the next pitch, Springer struck out on a ball outside the strike zone. According to , that at-bat alone decreased the Blue Jays’ win probability by more than eight per cent.
A no-catch catch
The Blue Jays have some not-so-fond memories from Kansas City the last time they won a division championship. They have some more to add to the list this year.
Looking to avoid a series sweep against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium Sunday, centre-fielder Daulton Varsho dove for a sinking line drive hit towards him in the fifth inning. The umpires said Varsho trapped it, but didn鈥檛 catch it. The Blue Jays challenged.
Replay review appeared to show Varsho catching the ball, and broadcasters Shulman and Buck Martinez thought the same. 鈥淟ooked like he might have caught it,鈥 Martinez said.
鈥淗e caught it,鈥 Shulman said. 鈥淲hat a play!鈥
After review, it was ruled that Daulton Varsho did not make the catch
鈥 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
When the umpires announced the call on the field stood 鈥 that the review team in New York couldn鈥檛 prove Varsho caught the ball 鈥 Martinez said the call was 鈥渁bsolutely terrible.鈥
鈥淗ow can that be?鈥 Shulman said.
鈥淗e clearly caught the ball before it hit the grass, and it never came out of his glove,鈥 Martinez echoed.
Shulman later relayed MLB鈥檚 explanation, which said the replay official couldn鈥檛 determine if Varsho had 鈥渇irm and secure possession of the ball鈥 before any part of it touched the ground.
The Royals didn’t score on that play, but it kept the inning going, knocked starter Trey Yesavage out of the game and ultimately opened the door for Kansas City to score two runs. But the Jays prevailed, winning the game 8-5 and punching their ticket to the post-season.聽
鈥楾here is fan interference, but the ball would have been a home run anyway鈥
It was no聽Steve Bartman incident, but it enraged fans all the same.
Facing the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 16, the Blue Jays jumped out early to a 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, the Rays had two runners on when second baseman Brandon Lowe sent a ball to deep right field.
The ball never landed. It was caught by a fan. Where was that fan鈥檚 glove when the ball was caught? No one could agree. If the fan had reached over the outfield wall and caught the ball, it would be deemed fan interference. If the fan made the catch on his side of the wall 鈥 the spectator side 鈥 it would be a home run.
After the Blue Jays challenged for fan interference on this home run, the umpires ruled that it was fan interference but that it would've been a home run anyways
鈥 Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia)
The call on the field was a home run. The Blue Jays challenged. And the verdict was even more confusing.
鈥淭here is fan interference,鈥 crew chief Laz Diaz announced to the stadium, 鈥渂ut the ball would have been a home run anyway, so it鈥檚 a home run.鈥
Confusion ensued. In an email to Sportsnet broadcaster Dan Shulman, Major League Baseball clarified the replay room in New York had determined fan interference occurred, but the replay official 鈥渃ould not definitely determine that the ball would not have left the field of play had spectator interference not occurred.鈥
The home run could’ve tilted the game in the Rays’ favour, but Jays held on to win 6-5.聽
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