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The Nationals seized the night with a do-or-die
7-2 victory, but it was a play in the top of the seventh inning
that stole the spotlight as the umpires took center stage for
all the wrong reasons.
With the visiting Nationals clinging to a 3-2 lead and Yan Gomes
on base, Washington’s Trea Turner hit a ball toward third base
and appeared to beat a throw to first base by Astros pitcher
Brad Peacock.
A sprinting Turner arrived at first base just as the throw did
and collided with the glove of Houston first baseman Yuli
Gurriel as the ball rolled away.
Turner advanced to second, and Gomes to third with no outs. That
is until Turner was called out for interfering with the throw,
setting off heated debates that will last well beyond the game.
“I thought I did everything possible to run a straight line and
not interfere,” Turner told a television interview following the
game.
“For me, the batter’s box is in fair territory and so is the
first base line. So if I’m going to run a straight line from the
batter’s box I’m going to be in fair territory. I guess it is
what it is.”
The Nationals protested the call, and following a five-minute
review the ruling stood. It was later explained that the
interference call is not reviewable because it is a judgment
call, and that the umpires were contacting the Major League
offices during the delay to relay that the Nationals had lodged
a protest to the game.
Washington wiped away their adversity two batters later when
Anthony Rendon belted a towering two-run homer to put the
Nationals ahead 5-2. Washington celebrated with extra emphasis
given the turn of events.
“I was actually pretty happy about the delay. I got to sit down
for a little while before I got the at-bat,” Rendon said. “It’s
just part of the game. We’re all human, mistakes happen. No one
is going to feel sorry for you.”
The home run did little to cool Nationals manager Dave Martinez
who was still fuming in the middle of the seventh inning and was
ejected for angrily confronting the umpires.
“In the heat of the moment, things get blown out of hand. I saw
things differently,” Martinez said after the game. “I don’t want
to make this about me and take away from what the boys did
tonight.”
Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer,
defended the umpire call following the game, despite endless
replays that appear to show Turner running within the baseline
as he reached first base.
“The call was the fact that he interfered with Gurriel trying to
catch the ball. If you notice, the glove came off his hand.
That’s when Sam Holbrook called him out for, basically,
interference,” Torre said.
“They made the right call at first, and that it (could not be
protested) because it’s a judgment call. I understand the
passion.”
Game Seven is on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Kim
Coghill)
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