During Thursday’s game between the A’s and Rangers, a controversial call by umpire Laz Diaz may have cost Oakland the game. In the bottom of the sixth inning, it appeared that A’s pitcher Brandon McCarthy dove and made a great play on an attempted squeeze bunt that Elvis Andrus popped into the air. After catching the pop-up, McCarthy fired it to third base for an inning-ending double play. The problem is the umpire didn’t see it that way.
Diaz ruled that McCarthy had trapped the ball, and a run scored. A replay showed that Diaz missed the call (see the play below). McCarthy was understandably upset with the ruling, so he went berserk. Then, he created a blog.
McCarthy’s first post (aside from the introduction to his blog) was entitled “Anger towards umpires and why I feel like an ass.” He explained his stance and why he was furious that Diaz blew such a crucial call that may have cost the A’s their bullpen and the game, but he also made it clear that the way he reacted was unacceptable.
Usually I enjoy swearing, but only on much friendlier terms. I was swearing at Laz like he had personally tried to screw me and now the more I look back at it, I was being an asshole. I could’ve sworn at him until my cerebellum melted, but what would that have solved? Nothing.
In the future, I think I’m going to start going for the much calmer discussion/debates. Raging can be fun, but nothing gets accomplished. I’m very aware that Laz did what he felt was correct. I don’t know how he didn’t see me catch that ball, but he says he did and under his job title, I’m obligated to abide by that. He’s just doing his job as best as he knows how, and I stood there and screamed and belittled him for it. That’s not how I want to carry myself going forward.
At least he’s being honest. In reality, McCarthy had every right to be furious. Diaz missed the call, and it was as costly as it gets. Mistakes are human nature, which is why the last line of McCarthy’s blog post said he will probably write about instant replay in the future. With calls like the one Diaz made becoming a common occurrence across Major League Baseball, why not take advantage of the technology we have access to?
