Saturday, September 27, 2014

MLB Instant Replay Reviews 1264-1271: Sept 27, 2014

September 27, 2014 featured the following MLB Instant Replay Review decisions:

TypeR#PosUmpireRU#TeamRT#NameInnPreResult
r1264HPJoyce, Jim6CIN35Bryan Price1OutStands
r1265HPWolf, Jim14TOR57John Gibbons7OutOverturned
r1266HPBucknor, CB18PHI39Ryne Sandberg4OutConfirmed
R12672BConroy, Chris17KC36Ned Yost1SafeStands
R12682BWelke, Bill17OAK42Bob Melvin3SafeOverturned
R1269HPHoye, James14TEX50Tim Bogar8SafeConfirmed
R12701BBaker, Jordan13STL40Mike Matheny2SafeStands
R12712BFairchild, Chad9LAA48Mike Scioscia2SafeOverturned

MLB Instant Replay Review Videos (MLB Advanced Media):
Video 1264: PIT@CIN: Out call stands, no violation of Rule 7.13 PU Joyce
Video 1265: BAL@TOR: Out call overturned at plate in the 7th PU Wolf
Video 1266: ATL@PHI: Out call at the plate reviewed in the 4th, confirmed PU Bucknor
Video 1267: KC@CWS: Safe call stands in the 1st inning U2 Conroy
Video 1268: OAK@TEX: Safe call overturned in the 3rd inning U2 Welke, B
Video 1269: OAK@TEX: Safe call confirmed at home in 8th inning PU Hoye
Video 1270: STL@ARI: Safe call at first stands in the 2nd inning U1 Baker
Video 1271: LAA@SEA: Safe call overturned in the 2nd U2 Fairchild

Friday, September 26, 2014

MLB Ejection 199: Jeff Nelson (7; Rick Renteria)

2B Umpire Jeff Nelson ejected Cubs Manager Rick Renteria for arguing a balk ("Time" no-call) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Cubs-Brewers game. With one out and one on, Brewers batter Carlos Gomez hit a 1-1 fastball from Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop on the ground to third baseman Luis Valbuena for an infield single. Replays indicate that prior to Strop's release of the ball, 1B Umpire Scott Barry called a balk on Strop, which in turn led to Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo's failure to cover first base; Because U2 Segura advanced to third base and B1 Gomez reached first base, play proceeded without reference to the balk, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Cubs were leading, 6-3. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 6-4.

This is Jeff Nelson (45)'s seventh ejection of the 2014 MLB Regular Season.
Jeff Nelson now has 20 points in the UEFL Standings (16 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 20).
Crew Chief Jeff Nelson now has 10 points in Crew Division (9 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 10).
*Rule 8.05 PENALTY states that if a balk is committed, "The ball is dead, and each runner shall advance one base without liability to be put out, unless the batter reaches first on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter, or otherwise, and all other runners advance at least one base, in which case the play proceeds without reference to the balk." In other words, the ball is dead unless R1/2/3 and B1 all advance at least one base. Because R2 and B1 advanced a base, the ball was not dead.

This is the 199th ejection of the 2014 MLB Regular Season.
This is the 90th Manager ejection of 2014.
This is the Cubs' 9th ejection of 2014, 1st in the NL Central (CHC 9; MIL, PIT 8; STL 7; CIN 5).
This is Rick Renteria's first ejection since July 9, 2014 (Andy Fletcher; QOC = Y [Fair/Foul]).
This is Jeff Nelson's first ejection since Sept 23, 2014 (Yoenis Cespedes; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 9/26/14
Video: Ricky is tossed arguing that a balk kills play; Nelson' explanation doesn't fly with the skip (CHC)

MLB Instant Replay Reviews 1254-1263: Sept 26, 2014

September 26, 2014 featured the following MLB Instant Replay Review decisions:

TypeR#PosUmpireRU#TeamRT#NameInnPreResult
R12542BHickox, Ed16DET42Brad Ausmus8SafeOverturned
R12552BByrne, Jon2HOU39Tom Lawless2OutOverturned
R12562BVanover, Larry21NYY33Joe Girardi1SafeOverturned
R1257HPMay, Ben2MIL32Ron Roenicke6FoulOverturned
R12582BBarrett, Ted20CWS43Robin Ventura4SafeOverturned
R12591BDavidson, Bob21ARI44Alan Trammell8SafeStands
R12602BBaker, Jordan12STL39Mike Matheny10OutConfirmed
R12612BJohnson, Adrian22SEA45Lloyd McClendon1OutOverturned
R12621BMiller, Bill16LAA47Mike Scioscia6FoulStands
R1263HPReynolds, Jim21COL41Walt Weiss7OutStands

MLB Instant Replay Review Videos (MLB Advanced Media):
Video 1254: MIN@DET: Tigers challenge safe call at first in 8th, overturned U2 Hickox
Video 1255: HOU@NYM: Astros win challenge of out call in the 2nd U2 Byrne
Video 1256: NYY@BOS: Yankees challenge safe call at second in 1st, overturned U2 Vanover
Video 1257: CHC@MIL: Brewers challenge foul call in 6th, overturned PU May
Video 1258: KC@CWS: The White Sox challenge a tag play in the 4th, overturned U2 Barrett, T
Video 1259: STL@ARI: D-backs challenge call on pickoff try in 8th, stands U1 Davidson
Video 1260: STL@ARI: Cards challenge out call at second in 10th, confirmed U2 Baker
Video 1261: LAA@SEA: Mariners challenge out call at second in 1st, overturned U2 Johnson
Video 1262: LAA@SEA: Angels claim fan interference on foul in 6th, stands U1 Miller
Video 1263: COL@LAD: Rockies challenge out at plate in 7th, stands PU Reynolds

Umpires, on the Never-Ejected Derek Jeter: "Classy"

"[Derek Jeter] is probably the classiest person I’ve been around," said veteran umpire John Hirschbeck in 2009 after 3B Umpire Marty Foster's first-inning ejection of Yankees Manager Joe Girardi (7/6/09: Ejections: Marty Foster (1)) for arguing an out call at third base. The baserunner? Derek Jeter.

Jeter and plate umpire Mike Estabrook in NY.
Photo: Adam Hunger/USA Today Sports
Sliding into third base on an attempted steal against Toronto, Jeter appeared to avoid third baseman Scott Rolen's tag, though Rolen caught the throw far in advance of Jeter's slide. According to post game coverage, Jeter told Foster that Rolen did not tag him while he was off-base. Foster purportedly replied, "He didn't have to...The ball beat you." As Jeter was walked away, skipper Girardi confronted Foster and received his marching orders.

When asked for comment, crew chief Hirschbeck went out of his way to praise Jeter, telling the pool reporter, "It would make his actions seem appropriate if that’s what he was told." Jeter's actions, of course, were far tamer than his manager's.

FOX Sport's JP Morosi reached out to DL-confined umpire Tim McClelland, who wrote, "I have a lot of admiration for Derek and what he has accomplished both on and off the field. I would say that Derek is the one player that I respect most for the way he plays the game and carries himself, again, on and off the field. He has represented himself, the Yankees, and the game of baseball with honor, admiration, and dignity."

Derek Jeter finishes his MLB career having played the sixth-most games without ever having experienced an ejection as a player. Jeter's 2,745 regular season games played without ejection trails Hall of Famers Stan Musial (3,026), Willie Mays (2,992), Brooks Robinson (2,896), Robin Young (2,856) and Tony Perez (2,777).

ESPN reached out to additional veteran officials, who all agreed on Jeter's personal quality.

Randy Marsh: "Whatever you told Jeter to do, that's what he did. The guy was the gold standard in the way he conducted himself...I wish more players realized you can voice your opinion or show how you feel about a call without being demonstrative or confrontational."

Richie Garcia: "Whenever there was an argument or a tough situation on the field, there was always a guy on my crew I could look at, a guy I could trust and know what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes. Derek Jeter was like that. He wasn't on my team, but I could look at his reaction and body language and know where we stood...He also called me 'Mr. Garcia.' I kept telling him to call me 'Richie,' but it was always 'Mr. Garcia.'"

Don Denkinger: "Some guys need a scapegoat, but Derek Jeter never made it tougher to do your job. I always appreciated the way Jeter carried himself...The world is full of people who don't respect you and still play the game, and the majority of them are short on ability. Derek was the opposite of that."

Larry Young: "Derek carried himself with a lot of dignity even as a rookie...Even the guys who have good relationships with umpires, whether it's Wade Boggs or George Brett or Rod Carew, eventually get ejected. The fact that Derek never once lost it over 20 years says a lot about him...Most guys don't know when to quit arguing, but Derek always knew when to stop."

Chuck Meriwether: "If you called Derek out on strikes and he didn't like it, he would bow his head because he didn't want anyone in the stands seeing that he was really arguing. He didn't want to show you up with 40,000 people in the crowd and millions watching on TV, and as an umpire that made you feel good."

Polls: 2014 MLB Postseason Umpire Speculation Thread

With the 2014 MLB postseason on the horizon, umpire assignments take center stage in the UEFL. As the Wild Card assignment is crafted during this final week of the regular season, we consider assignments for the entire 2014 MLB postseason.

2012 World Series Umpire Brian O'Nora in his First Fall Classic
(Photo: "The Third Team," MLB Network)
Speculation Thread - Predict The Postseason
Wild Card (WC) - 2 Games - 12 Umpires
Division Series (DS) - 4 Series - 24 Umpires
Championship Series (CS) - 2 Series - 12 Umps
World Series (WS) - 1 Series - 6 Umpires

"Choose Your World Series Umpiring Crew" Poll
After a one-year absence, our World Series poll has returned. In the below poll (after the "read more" jump), all umpires eligible for a World Series assignment (e.g., the umpire has previously worked a League Championship Series) are listed. -cc indicates a regular season Crew Chief while an asterisk (*) indicates the umpire has not yet worked a World Series prior to 2014 and would accordingly be a Series rookie. New This Year: In the poll below, the year in parentheses represents the last year this umpire has worked a World Series. For instance, "Barrett, Ted ('11)" signifies that Ted Barrett last worked a World Series in 2011.

The 2013 World Series featured two World Series rookies (Mark Wegner and Paul Emmel), as did the 2012 World Series (Dan Iassogna and Brian O'Nora) and 2011 World Series (Greg Gibson, Ron Kulpa). On a similar note, the 2013 World Series featured three regular season crew chiefs and one who became a crew chief the following year (John Hirschbeck [WS -cc], Dana DeMuth, Jim Joyce; Bill Miller was appointed to Crew Chief for the 2014 season), as did 2012 (Gerry Davis [WS -cc], Brian O'Nora, Joe West; Fieldin Culbreth was made a Crew Chief in 2013).

Per the World Umpires Association's 2009 CBA with MLB, umpires are now eligible to work two, but not three, consecutive World Series. Since this policy came into play, however, no umpire has worked two consecutive World Series. The 2013 World Series crew was John Hirschbeck -cc, Mark Wegner, Dana DeMuth, Paul Emmel, Bill Miller and Jim Joyce.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

MLB Instant Replay Reviews 1247-1253: Sept 25, 2014

September 25, 2014 featured the following MLB Instant Replay Review decisions:

TypeR#PosUmpireRU#TeamRT#NameInnPreResult
r1247HPScott, Dale14MIL31Ron Roenicke4OutConfirmed
R12481BSegal, Chris9WAS42Matt Williams3OutOverturned
R12492BRandazzo, Tony15NYM37Terry Collins8OutConfirmed
R12501BO'Nora, Brian14NYY32Joe Girardi3SafeOverturned
R12511BBarrett, Lance21MIN39Ron Gardenhire7SafeStands
R12522BNelson, Jeff15BOS44John Farrell2SafeOverturned
R12531BDrake, Rob14CWS42Robin Ventura7OutOverturned

MLB Instant Replay Review Videos (MLB Advanced Media):
Video 1247: MIL@CIN: Call at home confirmed after review in 4th PU Scott
Video 1248: NYM@WSH: Treinen safe after challenge in the 3rd U1 Segal
Video 1249: NYM@WSH: Tejada confirmed out after challenge in 8th U2 Randazzo
Video 1250: BAL@NYY: Safe call at first overturned in 3rd U1 O'Nora
Video 1251: MIN@DET: Safe call at first stands in the 7th inning U1 Barrett, L
Video 1252: TB@BOS: Safe call at second overturned in 2nd U2 Nelson
Video 1253: KC@CWS: Out call at first overturned in the 7th U1 Drake

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

MLB Instant Replay Reviews 1235-1246: Sept 24, 2014

September 24, 2014 featured the following MLB Instant Replay Review decisions:

TypeR#PosUmpireRU#TeamRT#NameInnPreResult
r1235HPDavis, Gerry13OAK41Bob Melvin4OutStands
R12362BCooper, Eric10LAA46Mike Scioscia8SafeStands
R12371BEddings, Doug21TOR56John Gibbons3FairConfirmed
R12381BEddings, Doug22SEA43Lloyd McClendon8SafeOverturned
R12391BEddings, Doug23SEA44Lloyd McClendon9OutConfirmed
R12403BCarapazza, Vic18PHI41Ryne Sandberg9OutConfirmed
R12412BWolcott, Quinn21CIN34Bryan Price2SafeOverturned
R12423BWest, Joe10CLE42Terry Francona7OutStands
R12431BLayne, Jerry16PIT45Clint Hurdle6SafeOverturned
R12443BBarrett, Ted19TEX49Tim Bogar1SafeOverturned
R12451BMeals, Jerry17SD37Bud Black4FoulOverturned
R12461BMeals, Jerry18SD38Bud Black4OutConfirmed

MLB Instant Replay Review Videos (MLB Advanced Media):
Video 1235: LAA@OAK: Out call stands for double play in 4th PU Davis
Video 1236: LAA@OAK: Burns' stolen base stands in the 8th U2 Cooper
Video 1237: SEA@TOR: Hart's double down the line confirmed in 3rd U1 Eddings
Video 1238: SEA@TOR: Morales tags Pompey for the out in the 8th U1 Eddings
Video 1239: SEA@TOR Sanchez picks off Jones, challenge confirms U1 Eddings
Video 1240: PHI@MIA: Force play at third confirmed in 9th U3 Carapazza
Video 1241: MIL@CIN: Close play at second overturned in 2nd U2 Wolcott
Video 1242: KC@CLE: Gordon's diving grab stands despite challenge U3 West
Video 1243: PIT@ATL: Safe call at first overturned in the 6th U1 Layne
Video 1244: HOU@TEX: Grossman out at third after challenge in 1st U3 Barrett
Video 1245: COL@SD: Foul ball call overturned in the 4th inning U1 Meals
Video 1246: COL@SD: Tag play at first is confirmed in the 4th U1 Meals