Controversial calls steal playoff thunder

Controversial calls made by umpires in the Major League Baseball playoffs have brought up talks of instilling replay, but according to ESPN umpires need to get it right the first time.

During game two of the American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers, Rangers third baseman, Michael Young, appeared to swing at would have been strike three. The first base umpire said he did not swing, so the at-bat continued. On the next pitch, Young hit a three run homer to center field which proved to be the icing on the cake as Texas defeated Tampa Bay 6-0.

Another close call occurred in the other American League series between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees. With the game tied 2-2, Twins pitcher, Carl Pavano, appeared to throw strike three on the outside corner to Yankee Lance Berkman. Home plate umpire, Hunter Wendelstedt called it ball two.

On the next pitch, Berkman launched a double off the wall scoring Jorge Posada from first and giving the Yankees the lead for the rest of the game.

Pavano took the potential miscall in stride. "If I thought about every ball that I thought should have been called a strike, I wouldn't be able to pitch,'' he said. "I don't think it does you or your teammates any justice when you lose your emotions over maybe a missed call or not a missed call.''

Even if major league baseball established a replay system for playoff games to assist umpires in making close calls, there is no guarantee that these two calls would be reviewed. Major League Baseball has no official rule to what a check swing actually is and to look at every close ball and strike might become a bit tedious.

Either way, the Twins and Rays find themselves in a 2-0 hole in their respective series’.