The Yankees Against the World
MLB:
Joe Torre said here on Thursday that the disputed home run call in the Yankees-Royals game on Wednesday night in Kansas City was due to the umpire’s misunderstanding of the ground rules at Kauffman Stadium.
Royals designated hitter Billy Butler was wrongly credited with a third-inning solo home run, even though the shot was reviewed via instant replay, said Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations and a former Yankees manager.
So even with instant replay, even with the Yankees vigorously objecting, the Royals still get the run on a bad call. As Mariano Rivera said, unacceptable:
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was uncharacteristically irate with the ruling, charging from the clubhouse after seeing it on television and barking at the umpiring crew after Butler’s homer was upheld.
“I mean, that cost us the game,” Rivera said. “Tied game, you know? I understand we’re human, but come on. You have replays and get the call wrong? That’s unacceptable.”
This is why we need heroic fans like Jeffrey Maier — to keep it fair when the game is stacked against the Yankees.
