In a tied game in the sixth inning, Gio Urshela stepped in for a long, scrappy at-bat against Funkhouser. The count looked normal early on, with a ball, then a foul, then another called strike to make it 1-2. Gio fouled off several pitches and showed solid plate discipline. The ump called what seemed like ball three, sending Gio to first on what everyone assumed was a full-count walk. But the replay and reactions told a different story. The key pitch came at 1-2, when Gio appeared to foul a breaking ball off. The umpire didn’t clearly signal a foul ball. His hand went up softly, and he looked for a new ball without any strong movement. That may have caused everyone to believe the pitch was ball two, not a foul. From there, several more foul balls came, followed by what appeared to be ball three. Based on unclear signaling and poor communication, it seems like Gio walked on what was actually ball three.
After the game, Gio admitted he knew he reached on a walk after just three balls. He also knew nobody else caught what happened. He hinted that he got away with it because the ump never realized the earlier pitch hit his bat. That swing may have gone unnoticed by everyone except for Gio. Both benches and the pitcher let it go. He reached first base, and the next batter stepped up without complaint. It was a strange mix of missed signals, silence from both managers, and a savvy move by Urshela, who never corrected the call.