On Sunday, September 4, 2011, Major League Baseball had another controversial moment that may support using instant replay more freely but not have decided the game on its own. In the sixth inning of the Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins, the Phillies’ Hunter Pence hit a drive to right that Marlins outfielder Bryan Peterson appeared to have when a fan reached over the fence and interfered with the potential catch. Umpires ruled fan interference, called Pence out, and returned Ryan Howard, who went from first to third on the play, to first base. The Phillies protested the game.
The call reminds me of two other famous plays that involved possible fan interference, both occurring in the post season and each one involving one of my two favorite teams. In both cases, the umpires did not rule fan interference but let the results of the plays stand. Each play became a game changer and a moment in baseball history, but they alone did not determine the series outcomes.
In Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, the New York Yankees trailed the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 when Derek Jeter led off the bottom of the eighth. He hit a drive to right, and right fielder Tony Torasco leaped to catch it. A young fan reached his hat over the fence and knocked the ball into the stands. Umpires ruled home run. Replays clearly showed fan interference, and Jeter should have been called out. That call allowed the Yankees to tie the game, and they won it in extra innings. The Orioles protested the game but to no avail. The Yankees went on to win the series 4-1 and eventually won the World Series.
The Chicago Cubs had a play equally as controversial in 2003, but it hurt their chances of reaching the World Series In Game 6, the Cubs needed just five more outs to reach their first World Series since 1945. Marlins hitter Luis Castillo lofted one down the left field line toward the stands in foul territory. Cubs left fielder Moises Alou leaped and reached above the railing to make the catch, but a Cub fan interfered with the play. The ball was just above the railing, making it hard to tell if the ball was in the field of play or in the stands. The umpire had to make a split-second decision without replay. The umpire ruled foul ball, and the Marlins then scored eight runs to win the game. The Marlins won Game 7 the next night and denied the Cubs their World Series. The Marlins eventually won the 2003 World Series.
Single plays – no matter how controversial – do not win or lose games or series by themselves. The Yankees fought back from a 4-1 deficit to get the game to that point in which the Jeter home run tied it. The Orioles still had chances to win it. The Yankees won three other games. The Cubs still had a three-run lead after that controversial play but made a crucial fielding error. Pitcher Mark Prior then got hit hard, and the bullpen blew up. Many questioned whether Prior should have stayed in the game so long. The Cubs also blew a 4-0 lead in Game 1 of the Series and later lost three straight after taking a 3-1 series lead. Josh Beckett’s two-hit shutout in Game 5 saved the series for the Marlins.
In Sunday’s Phillies-Marlins game, the Marlins won in extra innings, but the game means very little to either team. The Phillies will clinch the best National League record regardless of this game, and the Marlins were out of the race long before. The Marlins left 23 on base, so one more hit earlier in the game may have made this play moot. The two playoff games described above will live on infamously, especially the Cubs game as they have still not reached the World Series since 1945.
Sources:
Major League Baseball, Baseball’s Best: 1996 ALCS Game 1, mlb.com.
Sports Illustrated, 2000s Top Ten MLB Games, sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Steven Wine, Marlins Beat Phillies in 14, 5-4, sports.yahoo.com.
Raymond grew up in Florida and began watching the Cubs on WGN in 1982. He became a fan in 1984 when Ryne Sandberg hit the two famous game-tying home runs off Cardinals closer and former Cub Bruce Sutter. Raymond then solidified his team loyalty when the Cubs won the division later that season and has been a fan ever since. He also became a Yankee fan as he saw them make the World Series in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1981, winning the middle two.