In the top of the seventh at Tropicana Field, the A’s led the Rays 2-1. Two outs, runner on first, and a pop-up drifted toward third base. Joey Wendle called for it but lost it in the stadium’s bright white roof. The ball dropped in, and chaos followed at home plate. The runner slid in, and the ump called him out. Oakland argued right away. The catcher didn’t tag him, they said. The A’s challenged the play.
The replay showed what looked like clear evidence. The catcher’s glove didn’t touch the runner until after his hand hit the plate. A slow-motion angle revealed no contact on the jersey until after the hand was clearly down. The tell-tale jersey wrinkle, usually seen when the glove makes contact, only appeared after the hand was already past home. Still, the replay center in New York let the out call stand.
Bob Melvin stormed the field furious. He argued the call and the system. But the field umpires shrugged it off. They blamed New York. Melvin couldn’t yell at the people who made the final decision, and the umps on the field took no responsibility. The game moved on, but the frustration boiled over. Another missed call by MLB’s replay system, and no one held accountable.