Anyone who's been following this year's MLB playoffs can see that the umpires are either on their Tim Donaghy steez or in serious need of a visit to an optometrist. Umpire Tim McClelland's blown call at third (see the picture above and video at the bottom) in Game 4 of the ALCS was just the latest in a series of gaffes that have many baseball fans clamoring for instant replay (and just hope that one of those calls doesn't go against the Yankees, else that clamoring's gonna turn into a full bore apoplectic fit).
However, it isn't just this year that the umps have been watching different games than everyone else. Turns out the Stevie Wonder swagger jackers have been at it for decades, as you'll see with our list of the 5 biggest blown calls in MLB playoff history...
#5: ERIC GREGG'S ENDLESS STRIKE ZONE
• Those Involved: Livan Hernandez (Florida Marlins), umpire Eric Gregg, Fred McGriff (Atlanta Braves).
• When: 1997 NLCS Game 5
• The Call: Eric Gregg had been calling a wide strike zone all game so it really wasn't that much of a surprise when he called Fred McGriff out on the final pitch on a ball that was at least a foot outside of the average strike zone. The Marlins went on to win the series in six. Overweight and hungry umpire + Miami's sweltering heat = pitcher's paradise.
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#4: ED ARMBRISTER RUNS INTO CARLTON FISK
• Those Involved: Carlton Fisk (Boston Red Sox), Ed Armbrister (Cincinnati Reds) umpire Larry Barnett.
• When: 1975 World Series Game 3
• The Call: After attempting a sacrifice bunt, Armbrister collided with Fisk at the plate, causing Fisk to make a throwing error. Umpire Barnett failed to make the interference call and the Reds went on to win the game 4-3, and the Series in 7. Barnett and Bill Buckner are the reasons why every Boston fan who died before October 2004 went to their grave without ever seeing the Sox win it all.
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#3: RON GRANT WRESTLED OFF 1ST
• Those Involved: Ron Gant (Atlanta Braves) and Kent Hrbek (Minnesota Twins) and umpire Drew Coble.
• When: 1991 World Series Game 1
• The Call: After a single, Gant rounds toward second but heads back, and that's when Twins' pitcher Kevin Tapani throws back to first. Twins' first baseman Kent Hrbek then wrestled Gant off first to get the out call. In what ended up being a seven game series where five games were decided by one run, the players didn't need a WWF SummerSlam intro.
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Jeffrey Maier saves the day
Larry | MySpace Video
#2: JEFFREY MAIER CATCH
• Those Involved: Fan Jeffrey Maier, right fielder Tony Tarasco (Baltimore Orioles) and umpire Rich Garcia
• When: 1996 ALCS, Game 1
• The Call: With the Orioles leading 4-3 in the eighth, 12-year old fan Jeffrey Maier reaches over the right field wall to turn what would be an out, into the game tying home run for some Yankee rookie named Derek Jeter. You know the rest: New York won in extra innings and went on to win the World series that year, with'Roids and an endless bank rollMaeir's catch jumpstarting the Yankees dynasty that decade. Don't worry Oriole fans, your city can still claim The Wire and better crabs than NYC.
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#1: DON DENKINGER'S SAFE CALL
• Those Involved: Jorge Orta (Kansas City Royals) Todd Worrell (St. Louis Cardinals) and umpire Don Denkinger
• When: 1985 World Series Game 6
• The Call: With the Cardinals only three outs away from a World Series title, Don Denkinger calls Orta safe at first on a routine ground ball where he was clearly out. Royals went on to rally and score two runs and to win the game and eventually the series. Cardinals' fans subsequently sacrificed Denkinger's first-born as equal retribution for the blown call. Maybe not, but Denkinger did say he received death threats for years to come.
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BONUS: WHO'S ON 3RD?
• Those Involved: Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano (New York Yankees), Mike Napoli (Anaheim Angels) and umpire Tim McClelland
• When: 2009 ALCS Game 4
• The Call: Posada caught in a rundown heads back to third, Cano advances on the fielders choice and runs from second to third, only problem neither of them ever touches base and Napoli tags both out. When it comes to baserunners, McClelland obviously takes after Ray Charles. He don't see nobody!
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Sports Fanatic October 23rd, 2009 at 07:27 AM
Add Umpire calling ball 4 on an obvious strike 3 and the Yankees scoring 6 runs with 3 outs against the Angels Wed night and it looks like the Umpires got the memo to help the Yankees advance to the World Series at all costs no matter how blatantly wrong the calls are. Same thing happened to Padres in Padres in 1998 World Series where Mark Langston had strike three against Yankees on fastball right down the middle and 3 out. Next pitch, Yankee hits a grand slam and it changes entire Series in favor of Yankees. It is not a new phenomenon, MLB Umpires have consistently favored the Yankees in the playoffs and the World Series so much so that it taints the game of baseball.
bobrittner October 24th, 2009 at 11:48 PM
I assume you have analyzed every controversial call in post-season play involving the Yankees and are prepared to demonstrate that they unfailingly favor NY. If you cannot do that, then you need to stop making such statements as they are statistical type statements that can be proven or disproven with data and are totally without merit failing the presentation of such data. I am not talking about selectively remembering (and listing) specific calls but of calculating the totality of questionable calls and calculating the proportion that favor the Yankees.
James October 28th, 2009 at 08:36 AM
Yeah Bob you are right. The Yanks NEVER get the calls: http://espn.go.com/media/mlb/1999/1017/photo/a_stretch.jpg
DramaKid October 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 AM
yeah, because the Padres had even the slightest chance against the '98 Yankees who are arguably one of the most dominant World Series championship teams of all time. FOH, Padres never had a chance.
Mr. Applegate October 24th, 2009 at 06:42 PM
That "memo" must not have arrived until the second inning, since the same umpire called a bogus strike 3 on Mark Teixiera in the first. You'd think that the blatant Yankee bias would work a whole lot better with New York having the bases loaded and A-Rod coming up. But then, conspiracies can be so confusing.
Ian October 28th, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Like the roids addition to the Yanks dynasty. Keep it honest. Well done.
Jake October 28th, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Yeah, cause only the Yanks were using. Did you notice a certain Oriole at the end of that clip -- Brady Anderson? Yeah, he was clean.
Matt October 28th, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Seriously, who was demonstrated, or even suspected, of being on 'roids from the Yankees 1996 team? Jeter? O'Neill? Bernie? Tino? Anyone from the core of that team? OK, I've always suspected Leyritz, but I don't recall him being specifically nailed. Maybe you can say Pettitte, but even the Mitchell report says that he didn't touch HGH until several years later. Plus there's the matter that in 1996 I don't think the Yankees had even the highest payroll, let alone anywhere near the gap they have now.
Magic Titty October 28th, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Someone explain how Buckner lost the '86 series for the Red Sox? The game was already tied, Mookie Wilson would've beaten him to 1st base anyway, and why the hell was he still in the game, instead of a defensive replacement? This 'blame Buckner' thing is pretty much the dumbest meme in sports history.
27 October 28th, 2009 at 02:18 PM
Totally agree on the Buckner thing; the game was tied and as good as over at that point. Everyone needs a scapegoat I guess as is the case with Tino's game 1 slam in the '98 series. The dugout camera angles of the pitch show it was about 6" below his knees - pretty sure that's a ball even if he is on steroids and the umpires are paid off and there's a 3rd shooter up on the grassy knoll outside the stadium...
latrell October 28th, 2009 at 02:21 PM
Wha? Bob Davidson missing Kelly Gruber's obvious tag on Deion Sanders for a triple play in Game 3 of 1992 World Series gets no love? Even retrosheet.org says it should have been a triple play! http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1992/B10200TOR1992.htm
Tim October 29th, 2009 at 08:14 PM
Buckner isn't the real scapegoat in my mind for 1986. The scapegoats to me are Bob Stanley and Calvin Schiraldi for their choke job on the mound, and John McNamara for not doing what he always did and bring in Dave Stapleton as a defensive replacement.
JDman November 1st, 2009 at 03:12 PM
How is Eric Gregg here. The Braves should think of it as retribution for getting a ridiculously large strike zone called for them for a decade. When they didn't get it, they lost. Crybabies!
Matt June 3rd, 2010 at 05:33 PM
Great article. Oh, except for the fact that none of the videos work because of copyright claims. If you're going to use video to support your article, at least make sure people are going to be able to see them. Idiot!