Playoff Pulse: Umps Get One Right on Rollins' Accidentally Brilliant Double Play

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

If you're going to criticize the umps when they blow a call, you have to praise them when they get one right, as they did in the fifth inning on Jimmy Rollins' shoestring catch and double play (details below).

The crew initially didn't rule that Rollins doubled off Hideki Matsui but huddled and eventually got the call right, a good moment for the men in blue in a month where it has seemed to be all bad and for a crew that was picked specifically because of its World Series experience.

Still, isn't the main argument against expanded instant replay that it would disrupt the flow of the game? The umpires' conference over the play was plenty disruptive to the action. A replay impresario sitting in the press box probably would have taken less time to get the call right.

In Their Own Words
"If you guys win again, I'll be there." -- Michelle Obama to Jimmy Rollins, after Rollins told the First Lady that the players' wives were disappointed not to meet her when they were honored at the White House for winning the 2008 World Series.
By the Numbers
6 Walks allowed by Yankee pitchers in Game 1. Seven of the last eight teams to hand out that many free passes in the first game of the Fall Classic wound up losing the series. -- Ed Price
More From FanHouse
Mariotti: Lee Dr. October Moore: Yanks Lackluster Fletcher: The Utley Show Price: CC's Big Burden

Looking Back ...

The strangest play of Game 1 of the World Series looked like a brilliant move by Rollins, but it wasn't the move he intended.

With Matsui at first and no outs in the fifth, Robinson Cano hit a shallow pop toward Rollins. Rollins lowered his glove to the ground and caught the ball just above the dirt, confusing Matsui and easily doubling him off first (once the umpires figured it out). But Rollins said that wasn't his plan.

"I was trying to let the ball bounce, but I wasn't going to let it bounce away," Rollins said. "When [umpire Brian Gorman] said it was a catch, I was disappointed."

Just to play it safe, the Rollins and the Phillies got "outs" four ways. He caught the popup, then stepped on second, then threw to first baseman Ryan Howard, who stepped on first for the force there and also tagged Matsui.

-- Jeff Fletcher

Scout's Eye View ...

Good pitchers mix pitches and change speeds. Cliff Lee has taken those skills far beyond the ordinary and made pitching an art form this postseason. Lee is by no means lacking in stuff, but his ability to mix and change speeds makes him close to impossible to hit when he's right. Perhaps what was most impressive, however, is how well he handled the red-hot Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the powerful heart of the Yankee order in Game 1.

Against Rodriguez, Lee was able to do what just about no other pitcher has been able to this October. He was able to throw the fastball inside for strikes, opening up the outer half as a result. Other pitchers have tried and failed to thread that inside corner, allowing A-Rod to sit and wait for the ball out over the plate. He finished Rodriguez off twice with devastating changeups down and toward the outer part of the plate. When you can force him to honor the fastball on the inside corner, he will not be nearly as lethal on the pitch away. Lee's approach is a good blueprint to beating Rodriguez, but the reality is few pitchers have the pinpoint command and plus secondary pitches to pull off such a strategy.

-- Frankie Piliere

Thursday's Tale of the Tape ...

Phillies (Pedro Martinez) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett), 7:57 PM ET: Martinez has a long and storied history against the Yankees. If you don't believe us, just ask him. But Pedro hasn't been the same pitcher he was when he did most of his tangling with the Bronx Bombers, so let's look at a more recent sample. Since he left the Red Sox in 2004, Martinez is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 27 2/3 innings against New York. He's 1-2 with a 4.72 ERA in the postseason against the Yankees. If there's a bigger wild card than Pedro, it might be Burnett. The right-hander has the stuff to dominate, but if he's looking for a break from these Phillies he won't get one. Current Philly hitters are slugging .481 against him, with Game 1 hero Chase Utley having a ton of success against him. Look for Matt Stairs to get the start at DH Thursday night. He's 3-for-11 with two home runs in his career against Burnett.