The Boston Red Sox pulled off an amazing comeback against the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALCS on Sunday night, thanks in large part to David Ortiz’s grand slam to tie the game in the 8th inning. Boston also may have gotten a little help from the umpires.
Before he slashed a game-winning single to left field in the 9th, Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a foul ball out of play down the first base line. Prince Fielder looked like he had a chance to secure the popup, but the Fenway Park fans did their job by winning the battle. As the photo above that @cjzero passed along shows, it was very close to being fan interference. This little guy was glad it wasn’t.
“Hi, Mr. Fielder.”
The no-call gave Saltalamacchia another chance and he delivered. Even if Prince caught the ball, there would have been one out and the Red Sox would have still had a runner on third. There’s a solid chance they would have won anyway, but there’s also a decent chance the umpire would have called fan interference if the game was in Detroit. Plays like that are what makes home field advantage so important.
GIF via @cjzero
