Crew chief Tim Tschida admitted that left field umpire Phil Cuzzi blew a key call in the 11th inning of the Twins' Game 2 loss to the Yankees.
In the half-inning before New York's Mark Teixeira scraped his walk-off home run over the left-field wall, Twins catcher Joe Mauer sent a bloop down the line that deflected off of left fielder Melky Cabrera's glove and then bounced in fair territory. Either way, the ball was fair. Only Cuzzi ruled that it wasn't, stripping a leadoff double from the Twins' MVP candidate.
"[He] saw the ball as foul, called what he saw," Tschida said. "Afterwards, like any close play, we went in and we looked at it and it's a clear indication that an incorrect decision was rendered."
"I think we all know the ball was fair by a long ways," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Mauer soon followed with a single, as did Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer. So while Cuzzi's blown call only ended up costing Mauer a base, it may have also wound up costing Minnesota a crucial lead in extra innings.
When a reporter asked Gardenhire how the game might have changed if Cuzzi had made the correct call, he responded with a question of his own.
Said Gardenhire: "What did the next guy (Kubel) do? ... Next guy got a single. You can figure that out, I think."
"There's a guy sitting over in the umpire's dressing room right now that feels horrible," Tschida said of Cuzzi. "I've been there. Some of you have been through that with me at a time or two when you render a decision and it could have a negative impact on the outcome of the game. Nobody feels it worse than the umpire."
Missed calls by the umpires have become a major storyline early on in the 2009 postseason, but Cuzzi's gaffe is the first to have a direct and significant impact on the outcome of a game.
Major League Baseball introduced instant replay on boundary (home run) calls during the middle of last season, but the clamoring for expanded replay will only grow louder with each missed call.
"It's not my call. I'm just managing a baseball team. I can't make that decision for them. There's not [more replays]," Gardenhire said. "We had six umpires out there. I think, right, six? Six umpires."
"That decision [on expanded replay] is going to be made by somebody at a much higher level than I," Tschida said.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
10-10-2009 @ 2:31AM
majbert said...
Although it was a bad call they did leave 17 runners on base so it wasn't their only chance. It was a good game in spite of the umpires totally hosing up the job they get paid to do in a critical situation.
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10-10-2009 @ 5:03AM
rosesboy528 said...
Ok this Cuzzi guy blew a call, but if you watched the game that merriweather guy behind home plate was horrible. Balls way out of the strike zone that he called strikes all game. He took the bat right out of hitters hands all night. Very poor for this time of year.
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10-10-2009 @ 5:28AM
dpscala said...
hey frings u ignorant a-------
why dont u come to ny and say that
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10-10-2009 @ 5:50AM
depotrat said...
He didn't miss one call, he actually missed two!!! First, as soon as it tipped the outfielder's glove it was a fair ball. He missed that, OK he is human. Then the next call is where did the ball fall. It fell a few inches inside fair territory,not really too close. He missed that two. That is two blown calls!! The amazing thing is that in the regular season we would expect the 3rd base umpire to get that call correct from 200 feet away but since it is the playoffs MLB adds two extra umps and he misses the call from 20 feet away. PATHETIC
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10-10-2009 @ 5:57AM
bobber said...
check replay for all games that are played after season is over all close plays sorry im a yankee fan I have meet mantle , jeter both i feel any playoff game reply should be used the umps are great what a job they do but this is all about money . yankee fan
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10-10-2009 @ 7:23AM
DUKE said...
SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE. THE HOME PLATE UMPIRE COULD HAVE OVER RULED THE CALL. IT WAS ONE OF THE SIMPLEST CALLS IN BASEBALL. IF CUZZI IS ALLOWED TO EVER UMPIRE IN THE MAJORS AGAIN YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS AMISS.
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10-10-2009 @ 7:43AM
mcpbn said...
Ok stop all your whining. 1 bad call vs bases loaded with no outs and they still couldn't get across the plate - pathetic.
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10-10-2009 @ 7:47AM
theburghk said...
i am getting old and all i see in life are errors.on the sport scene the political scene,you name it.now the umpires are on the yankees side,ridiculous calls,i just hope and pray the angels rip the yankees apart.obama the peace prize,please spare me the details.
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10-10-2009 @ 7:58AM
morethanlitho said...
Yes, the Ump got the call wrong. And yes, Maur may have scored on the next hit. But let's not forget how the Twins got invited to this series in the first place. Tigers had bases loaded and the batters shirt was brushed by the pitch. Clearly hit by a pitch according to the rules. No call, I did not see one Twins player complain or one Twins fan say "that's not right." Its part of the game. The Ump in Minn doesn't blow that call, and the Yankees are beating up on the Tigers instead. Get over it. You have 3 more chances to get it right.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:00AM
dtallard said...
Merriweather is the worst ball-strike ump I have ever seen. These are MLB's best?! And Cuzzi should go back to high school umpiring to hone his skills. And I'm a Yankee fan! These umps suck and should just admit it.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:03AM
aproia1 said...
hey azzhole....your a racest jerk.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:12AM
Michigan Man said...
Just another case for instant replay to overule the neanderthal umpires who believe they are always correct.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:12AM
mjsjr52 said...
Bad call for sure but the Twins did leave 17 guys on base throughout the game. the umpires can't do anything about that problem.
FRINGS, as for you, my only son is about to get deployed into harms' way to help protect the right of racist jerks like you to sit on your ass and spit that vomit out during the wee hours of the morning.
Great country, right as-h-le?
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10-13-2009 @ 5:29PM
Drath said...
The umpire clearly missed the touch by the Left fielder in fair territory, but the ball did not land in fair territory as previously stated, it landed foul and bounced into the stands. It should have been called Fair, but it was missed. No one argued the call!! Where was the Twins manager, he clearly didn't see it and didn't argue the call. Can't imagine Billy Martin letting that one go.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:32AM
Jim said...
Some asinine comments made on here. Duke if you saw the play then would or should have noticed that the homeplate umpires view was blocked by Cuzzi. As for Frings, GET A LIFE! Mistakes happen get over it play the next game. It's a game played by humans umpired by humans and therefore subject to errors. Way to call it majbert 17 left on base, nobody to blame but themselves. Yes it stinks when there's a blown call but it happens every year get over it! What next, machines making all the decisions? Next thing you know the game will be played by machines. Leave the human element alone. All is not lost there will be games and other mistakes its Baseball!
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10-10-2009 @ 9:08AM
WWLeake said...
That was not a blown call. It was an intentional mis-call. That game was rigged. If the comish had any balls they would be investigating how something like this could happen. No sweat there will not be any investigation as a New York team was involved and they always get favorable rulings. A bad day for baseball and they guys who play their hearts out like the Twins and the Yankees.
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10-10-2009 @ 9:20AM
leoganz said...
The crooked Steinbrenner probably paid off this ump like he pays off everyone else. The Yankees are a joke........
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10-10-2009 @ 12:09PM
tonytiger18 said...
Who paid off the umpire on the bad call against the Tigers?
Twins are very fortunate to be here.
But, who bad a bad baserunning error?
Not the umps.
Who didn't score with the bases loaded?
Not the umps.
Who left 17 baserunners stranded?
Not the umps.
Stop crying and stop look to blame anyone but the Twins themselves.
10-10-2009 @ 9:24AM
Jim said...
The twins are only in because of the blown call of the pitch that hit the batter's jersey on Mon. nite..what goes around, comes around..who can predict what the batter would have done had it been a double..they might have walked him..get a life...
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10-10-2009 @ 9:53AM
nova235 said...
Baseball is a game of mistakes, mistakes by managers,coaches, players,and yes even umpires. When players make a mistake it"s called an error and that error could cost their team a win,or if a third base coach sends a player home and then has him thrown out at the plate , that's a mistake, but they don't have any right to demand that the game be played over due to their mistake. Remember, the umpires are only there to make the playing field even for both teams and most of the time they do their job the right way. Yes, it was a blown call, not the first and definately not the last.
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