Reds awarded run on questionable replay review, MLB will investigate call
MLB continues to struggle with properly implementing the new plate-blocking rule this season.
The chaos began in the eighth inning when Cincinnati's Zack Cozart was tagged at the plate by Jeff Mathis while attempting to tag up from third base on a fly ball to right field. He was initially ruled out and the inning over, but the umpires decided to send the play to the league's office in New York for confirmation.
That’s when things got messy.
The review overturned the call, awarding Cozart a run because Mathis had apparently blocked the plate. MLB’s new rules state that a catcher cannot block the plate unless he has the ball, and cannot enter the running lane unless the incoming throw takes him there.
However, replays showed Mathis catching the ball before gaining position in front of the plate, which he’s legally allowed to do. Marlins president David Samson was fuming after the game, telling MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro that the overturned call is a “travesty” and “there is absolutely zero excuse.”
And MLB doesn’t necessarily disagree, since they’ve announced an investigation into the incident:
We have begun to examine the Crew Chief Review in tonight’s Reds-Marlins game, which resulted in a violation of Rule 7.13, the call being overturned and a run scoring on the play. We plan to discuss this situation further with the appropriate parties tomorrow, and we will communicate with the Clubs after our discussion about this play.
The Marlins were leading 1-0 when the play happened, and eventually ended up losing 3-1 after the overturned call tied the game. Understandably, they’re feeling a bit robbed afterwards.
