In the third inning of last night’s 7-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies, a controversial call by plate umpire, Carlos Torres, cost the Mets greatly.
Bases were loaded with one out and the Mets already trailing by two. Pitcher, Logan Verrett appeared to strike out Tony Wolters, though the plate umpire thought differently. Torres ruled that Wolters tipped the ball, when replays had shown otherwise. Manager, Terry Collins came out to argue what seemed to be an obvious blown call and was tossed from the game. Wolters followed up of course with a two-run double. Collins spoke of his argument with Torres after the game.
“I said, ‘Well, if the hitter fouls the ball off, he’s going to point to the ground, or he’s going to say something. He turned around and walked out.’ [Torres] said, ‘Well, I heard it.’ I said, ‘You couldn’t have heard it, because he didn’t foul it off.’ … It doesn’t matter what I said. It doesn’t matter what he heard. The call stood. You can’t challenge it. It cost us the game. End of story.”
Verrett would retire the opposing pitcher next and should have been out of the inning without any further damage. With the extra out, Colorado took advantage as Charlie Blackmon added a two-run single, putting the final dagger in the Mets’ backs with a 7-1 lead. Catcher, Kevin Plawecki states that even Wolters told him he did not touch the ball on the would be strike out.
“He didn’t have to tell me,” Plawecki said. “I already knew. I mean, everybody already knew. It’s not like I’m telling everybody something that we all don’t know — or all didn’t know at the time. Everybody knew it in the ballpark besides the guy standing behind me. He made the call. We’ve got to live with it.” (ESPN)
The call cost the Mets the ballgame. Four unnecessary runs crossed the plate at Coors Field in Saturday’s loss.
“It’s unfair. There’s no reason for it,” Collins said. “… When you watch the hitter turn around and walk back to the dugout, you wouldn’t come out? Seriously, is there anybody in this room who wouldn’t come out?”
A very strange call that no doubt cost this team dearly Saturday night. The team will look to rebound Sunday with Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.12 ERA) on the mound as they close out their 11 game road trip.
