Controversial Call Ends Game 3 of the World Series

I wasn't going to write a post after last night's game; it was too painful.  If you watched the Cardinals win game 3 of the World Series last night, you know what I'm talking about.  A great game by both teams was tarnished by a controversial umpiring decision to end the game in the bottom of the 9th inning.

I won't go into the details of the play, but you can watch it here (without commentary for your viewing pleasure):

Personally, I think it was a bad call.  I understand where the "obstruction" came from, but I don't buy it.  The official definition of an "obstruction" in MLB is: 

When obstruction occurs, the umpire shall call or signal “Obstruction.”

(a) If a play is being made on the obstructed runner, or if the batter-runner is obstructed before he touches first base, the ball is dead and all runners shall advance, without liability to be put out, to the bases they would have reached, in the umpire’s judgment, if there had been no obstruction. The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base he had last legally touched before the obstruction. Any preceding runners, forced to advance by the award of bases as the penalty for obstruction, shall advance without liability to be put out.

Rule 7.06(a) Comment: When a play is being made on an obstructed runner, the umpire shall signal obstruction in the same manner that he calls “Time,” with both hands overhead. The ball is immediately dead when this signal is given; however, should a thrown ball be in flight before the obstruction is called by the umpire, the runners are to be awarded such bases on wild throws as they would have been awarded had not obstruction occurred. On a play where a runner was trapped between second and third and obstructed by the third baseman going into third base while the throw is in flight from the shortstop, if such throw goes into the dugout the obstructed runner is to be awarded home base. Any other runners on base in this situation would also be awarded two bases from the base they last legally touched before obstruction was called.

Okay, fine, Will Middlebrooks unintentionally impeded Allen Craig's run to home plate, but Middlebrooks wasn't in the direct base path to home plate.  If you watch, the video, Craig has already slid into third base when Middlebrooks dives for the ball.  Most runners take the outside of the foul line to run the "base path," but Craig uses the inside line for some reason, which causes him to "trip" over Middlebrooks, causing the obstruction.  Here's a photo below:

Photo from NESN

If the umpires were going to call this play an obstruction, what about the interference that Craig caused when he pushed Middlebrooks, who was only trying to get up and out of the way to make a play, back down to the ground?  Here's a closer look:

Photo from USAToday

Here's some reactions from the Red Sox players themselves after the game:

Middlebrooks:

I had to dive for that ball. I was pretty inside the base line. I dive for the ball there [and] there’s really nowhere for me to go. I’ve got to get up and he’s on top of me. There was nowhere for me to go there, so I don’t know. It’s a tough one.

[The umpire] said it didn’t matter. [Craig] ran into me. I’m just trying to process it. My mind is still — I don’t know. I don’t agree with [the call].

I just know I have to dive for that ball. I’m on the ground and there’s nowhere for me to go.

Saltalamacchia:

Home plate umpire] Dana [DeMuth] said he called him safe at first and I didn’t see how because I tagged him and he said, ‘No, it was on obstruction, obstruction.’ Like I said, I didn’t see that happen. I didn’t get too far into because I was watching the ball trying to see if Nava was going to be able to get him out at home. But after watching it on the TV, I just don’t see how it was.

I was real shocked to end the game like that. At the end of the day, if it was obstruction, yeah, you’ve got to call it. It’s part of the game. But like I said, looking at the replay, I don’t know the rule book in and out, but to me, it didn’t look like it was obstruction.

Jake Peavy

It’s just a crying shame, like I said, when two teams play as hard as you can possibly play, a hard-fought game, and the second time in three games that a call be made, it just doesn’t seem right.

Yeah, I’m absolutely shocked that a game of this magnitude can be decided like that when, don’t you have to be in the base line to — it just doesn’t seem right. Like I said, we don’t know the rule book hand and foot, but it just didn’t seem right there. That’s all I can do to just say that. I’ll leave it at that. … It’s just unbelievable that that happens in the World Series.

Daniel Nava

I turned around, I think [left field umpire] John Hirschbeck was behind me, and I asked him because I saw that the throw beat him and obviously if a throw beats a guy, he’s out. … Obviously, I was in no position to argue [with the call]. It’s not a play that you can overturn, unfortunately. It’s hard to end a game like that, on a call like that. It happened. You can’t go back. We’ve got tomorrow, thank God, but still for the three hours or whatever we played, that was rough.

These and other quotes are from: NESN

As Nava stated, hopefully a game of this magnitude is not decided by a play like this again.  It makes me wonder how this game would've been decided next year when replay is extended beyond home runs.  You would hope that the umpires would make the right call; and according to them, they did.  However, there are other factors to consider.  

It was hard not to react to such a disappointing finish to a great game.  I was upset with the umpires, with the reactions to some of the analysts, and with the general way FOX had been handling the postseason.  (For you who didn't see the ALCS, FOX loved the Tigers players and would interview them frequently during the games and didn't put too much emphasis on the Red Sox.)  I was tired of seeing the MLB analysts (who I have been missing since I no longer have MLB Network) prior to the games never seem to show the Red Sox any support, which is why I'd been watching more of NESN for the pre-game shows.

I admit, I went into a mini-rant on my personal Facebook account about the play, mostly because of some of the posts I was seeing on Facebook.  I quickly deleted my post because I didn't want to get into arguments with my "friends."  My future sister-in-law's sister put the perfect message to me "I like you too much to argue with you."  (Thank you, Julie)  Living so far away from these people, I didn't want this to be the "last" interaction I had with some of them.

I'm originally from Iowa, and about half of my friends are Cardinals fans.  To see people calling Middlebrooks a "cheater" was uncalled for.  How exactly was he "cheating?"  He was trying to make a play then get off the ground.  Yes, I have stated that I believe Craig should've been called for "interference" for pushing Middlebrooks to the ground, but I have not call Craig a "cheater."  It's ridiculous.

Most of my frustration comes down to the way the game ended.  As stated previously, no game, especially a championship game, should be decided by a controversial call.  I hope that with the expansion of replay, a call like that can be reviewed, much like it is in the NFL.  

The Red Sox need to come out swinging tonight (no pun intended).  Buchholz needs to be on his game and show the world that he's not "soft."  He needs to fight, especially since the bullpen was taxed last night.  The offense needs to score some runs.  I kept yelling at the television last night when Ellsbury was up that he needs to earn that huge contract Boras wants him to earn this offseason.  Farrell needs to make better decisions (Napoli should have pinch-hit for Workman in the 9th inning).

This Red Sox team as the heart and talent to win the World Series.  They need to show themselves, their fans, the FOX and MLB analysts, and rest of the world that they are truly champions.  I know, I think they are.