The Tigers were down to their last chance against the Marlins, trailing by a run with the tying man on third. Ronnie Rodriguez lifted a fly ball to right field, plenty deep to score the run. But the catch got messy. The right fielder appeared to secure it, then dropped the ball while transferring to throw. Initially ruled a drop, the call was reversed. The umps decided he had control and lost it on the transfer. The Tigers didn’t get the run, and the play stood as an out.
Manager Ron Gardenhire lost it. He stormed out to argue, clearly believing the ball was never controlled to begin with. Reading his lips, he seemed to argue that the ball bounced in the glove and was never caught cleanly. He also wanted clarity on where the runner ended up after the call. Despite a long discussion, the ruling didn’t change. Gardenhire got tossed and walked straight to the clubhouse.
The call was tight. On replay, the ball looked like it got stuck in the webbing for a moment and came out as the fielder started his motion. The umps stood by the transfer explanation. That turned what should have been a game-tying sac fly into a game-ending play. The Marlins took two of three from Detroit, and the Tigers left frustrated with the way it finished.