Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli explodes during controversial defeat to Toronto Blue Jays
The MLB can be prone to sparking scenes of controversy, and Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli became the latest in a long line of coaches to be ejected from a game.
Baldelli was incandescent after the umpires carried out a critical review during the 10th innings when the Twins faced the Toronto Blue Jays, with the score finely poised at 2-2.
Whit Merrifield was running from the third base for the Blue Jays after a shadow fly ball to the left field, and he was initially called out after a tag by Twins star Gary Sanchez in which he caught him at home plate in the hip.
However, after some careful consideration, the review was overturned by the umpires. Sanchez was deemed to have impinged upon Merrifield and the run was allowed to stand, which saw the contest swing in the Blue Jays’ favor.
Baldelli was remonstrating with the umpires before being ejected from the game. It was the eighth time in his career that he had been thrown out of a game, and on the third occasion this season. However, he has some way to go before he overtakes Bobby Cox’s unenviable record of 162 manager ejections.
When asked for his thoughts after the game, Baldelli said: “It’s one of the worst moments I think we’ve seen of umpiring in any game I’ve ever been a part of in baseball, and I think it was pathetic what just played out.”
Similarly, Sanchez was left perplexed by the decision, insisting he didn’t block Merrifield’s path.
He said: “He slid towards me. I’m just tagging him. I had the ball first.
“I think the line was open for him to slide to the side. He didn’t. It was a clean play.”
An almost identical scenario happened last weekend during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, when the Pirates’ Greg Allen was initially caught out in the seventh innings, but upon closer inspection, catcher Robinson Chirinos was penalized for violating the home plate.
As far as the Blue Jays are concerned, they benefitted from a decision that went their way, and their victory was laced with fortune. However, they have been put on a collision course with the Orioles, who could well stand in their way of reaching the World Series finals. All roads over the coming months will lead to the World Series and it is the pinnacle of the MLB.
The Blue Jays — who at the time of writing had a 60-50 record — are likely to curry some traction from reputable bookmakers. One of the best new betting sites, BetMGM, for example, has currently priced the Blue Jays at +1800 to win the American League East, while they are slightly shorter with the same bookmaker to win the World Series at +1400.
While the Blue Jays have been called into question over the strength in depth of their roster, they will be hoping that the win over the Twins can kickstart their push to the World Series and it will be fascinating to see how things unfold over the next couple of months.
