Umpire Ed Hickox cost the Los Angeles Dodgers with a blown call on a check swing by Darin Ruf in the top of the ninth inning on Thursday night.
The Dodgers were leading the San Francisco Giants 3-1 in the ninth inning in the finale of a 4-game series. The Dodgers turned to closer Kenley Jansen, who blew the game in the ninth on Wednesday night.
Jansen began the inning with a strikeout, single and strikeout. Then he gave up a double and walk to load the bases with his team still up 3-1.
The Dodgers appeared to have the game won twice before the umpires took over.
Thairo Estrada hit a slow grounder to short with the bases loaded and two outs. Shortstop Chris Taylor threw to second for the force out. The umpires called it an out, ending the game. But the play was reviewed and the call was correctly overturned, as Jason Vosler was ruled to be safe at second. The Dodgers led 3-2 at that point.
Then the even bigger call happened.
Darin Ruf had a 3-2 count with the bases loaded. Jansen threw a high cutter that Ruf went for but checked his swing on. Hickox ruled that Ruf did not go, even though Ruf’s bat traveled at least two-thirds of the way to a full swing.
Umpire says no swing, which allows the Giants to tie the game and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gets ejected immediately pic.twitter.com/HtDblfZFwg
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I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a hitter go around more than that on a check swing ruled to be a no swing. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected for arguing the call.
The Dodgers left Jansen in, and he allowed Lamonte Wade Jr. to knock in two with a single to make it 5-3. The Giants won by that score.
The Dodgers took Tuesday night’s game coming back from down 6-1 to win 8-6 on a 9th inning home run by Will Smith. The Giants took Wednesday night’s game coming back from down 2-1 in the ninth to win 4-2 on a home run by Wilmer Flores. And the Giants took the finale on Thursday 5-3 coming back from down 3-1 in the ninth, thanks to a blown call.
