Flipping & sliding
Replay upholds game-ending DP
The Nationals admitted they are confused regarding Major League Baseball’s slide rule. But their general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo felt no confusion about the umps Thursday at Citi Field. And he let them know it, igniting a nasty hallway scene.
After the Nationals lost 9-7 to the Mets in a game that contained the umps calling a double play against Washington on the enforcement of the slide rule in the ninth inning, Rizzo told crew chief Jim Joyce, “You blew it,” as he walked to the umpires’ room.
Joyce yelled back and a shouting match ensued. Joyce asked Rizzo who he was and the exec identified himself.
“You want to yell?” Rizzo asked. “Yell. I’m right here.”
Taken aback, Joyce replied, “You’re the one that came up and talked to me.”
Security guards intervened as more shouting ensued.
Presumably what had Rizzo ticked was the ninthinning call. With the Nationals trailing 9-7, Jayson Werth drew a leadoff walk. Daniel Murphy, facing closer Jeurys Familia, blistered a shot, but Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera made a remarkable play and shoveled the ball to second baseman Neil Walker, who forced a sliding Werth. Walker threw to first, where Murphy easily beat the throw. Meanwhile, at second, Werth slid past the base and did not maintain contact with the bag, a violation of the Utley rule.
“What a great play. It was one of those ones that I hit and I was looking past him and I was looking for it past him,” Murphy said. “And I never saw it.”
But Joyce, the ump at second base, ruled a double play, enforcing the slide rule. Nationals manager Dusty Baker challenged. It went to review and the call was upheld. What was Werth’s take? “Well, I was out. So was the guy at first I guess,” said Werth who added he made a similar slide earlier in the game that was not called — and that his last slide was “clean” and legal.
“To me,” he said, “that’s a clean slide.”
Baker said he has been told different things by different crews.
“The last time I was told it was going to be a commonsense type thing if there was no play at first base. My contention was he would have beat the throw no matter what,” Baker said. “I don’t know how you teach young players now to break up a double play.”
The Mets, naturally, thought the call was perfect.
“I have no problem with that slide. It’s a great slide. It’s what we’re taught to do as players: Break it up,” Walker said. “But the way it’s being called now, you pass the bag and your hand doesn’t stay on. … The way it’s called I want to make sure I get rid of that ball in case something like that happened.” And something did. “It’s been a clean slide for over 100 years. There’s no spikes involved, I was down early. … If the rule is you can’t make contact, then Major League Baseball needs to clarify that,” Werth said. “But right now I think it’s up to interpretation and I feel like it changes from day-today, series-to-series and in this case inning-to-inning.”