A highly unusual replay decision during Tuesday’s game between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs worked against Pete Crow-Armstrong. The incident happened at the top of the seventh inning with Tobias Myers on the mound and Michael Busch at the plate on a three-two count.
Crow-Armstrong, who was at first base, attempted to steal second base. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez immediately threw the ball to second baseman Bo Bichette, who tagged the All-Star outfielder. However, Myers’ pitch had skipped away up and in for a standard ball four, resulting in a base-on-balls call for Busch.
The play should’ve resulted in a dead-ball-style progression to the next phase. However, the Mets dugout initiated a challenge. The umpires ruled Crow-Armstrong out, claiming the outfielder lost physical contact with the second base bag after making his initial slide. Cubs skipper Craig Counsell entered the ballpark to dispute the call, resulting in an ejection.
Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(6) is the exact rule that the umpires used to call Crow-Armstrong out.
The rule states: “Runner on first and three balls on batter: Runner steals on the next pitch, which is fourth ball, but after having touched second he overslides or overruns that base. Catcher’s throw catches him before he can return. Ruling is that the runner is out. (Force out is removed.”)
In Crow-Armstrong’s situation, he lost all safe protection once his momentum carried his hand or body off the bag after the initial touch.
Nevertheless, the call resulted in severe backlash against the umpires. Some fans believed the umpires were biased against Crow-Armstrong, while others said the decision ran counter to the spirit of the game.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Hits 17th Homer of the Season
The Chicago Cubs secured a 9-6 win in their away series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday. Outfielder Peter Crow-Armstrong and shortstop Dansby Swanson homered for the visitors.
Chicago drew first blood in the second inning, capitalizing on Mets starter Kodai Senga’s struggles. Senga gave up five runs in the inning, including a three-run homer to Crow-Armstrong.
Dansby Swanson extended the lead with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. He later added an RBI double in the eighth.
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and second baseman Bo Bichette were the bright spots for New York in the loss. Alvarez recorded a two-run single in the bottom of the second and hit a solo homer in the seventh. Meanwhile, Bichette recorded a two-run homer in the ninth.
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