A long night, an awful call, a Braves win led by Scott Proctor
Is that Scott Proctor in the middle of a Braves celebration this morning? Nah. (AP photo)
Jordan Schafer looked at the clock. It was 2:15 a.m. and he still wasn’t showered.
“I would’ve like to have been asleep a couple of hours ago,” the Braves center fielder said. “But it obviously makes it better that we won.”
Is that what just happened?
One of the longest and strangest games in baseball history ended at 1:50 a.m. Wednesday. The Braves defeated Pittsburgh 4-3 in 19 innings.
Time of game: 6 hours, 39 minutes. If seemed like if it had gone much longer, shadows from the sunrise would have started affecting the hitters.
There appeared to be less than 5,000 fans at Turner Field still left from the original crowd of 22,036. Maybe they were thinking the longer the game went, there was a decent chance they would receive a free continental breakfast.
Or maybe they just wanted a story to tell their grandchildren one day.
Or maybe they figured they might get a chance to pitch. I mean, if Scott Proctor got a chance to pitch, could it be that long before team scouts began roaming the aisles for relief help?
This game went so long that catcher Brian McCann left after nine innings with a strained oblique, the Braves announced he would go on the 15-day disabled list and by the end of the game you wondered if he was healed and eligible to be activated again.
Here are some things you missed while sleeping:
♦ The numbers: 41 players combined for 158 plate appearances and faced — ready for this? — 608 pitches from 15 pitchers. The understatement of the day came from manager Fredi Gonzalez (who actually had been ejected with Nate McLouth back in the ninth): “Both teams are going to have to push their starters a little tomorrow.” No. Really?
♦ The spectator: It was just before 1 a.m. when Proctor – possibly the most lampooned Braves player since Greg Norton – became a trending topic on Twitter. Why? Simply because he was the Braves’ last non-starting pitcher left. He sat in the bullpen watching Tommy Hanson, Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbel — Hah! The closer entered in only the ninth inning! – Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill and Christian Martinez pitch. Wonder how many games of solitaire he played?
The thought occurred that the Braves were trying to avoid bringing Proctor in, given he started the night with a 7.36 ERA. (The fact Martinez threw an improbable six shutout innings of relief, a relative “quality start,” helped.) Any way, Proctor’s extending viewing became a running online gag. When told later he was trending on Twitter, Proctor said, “I was what?” You were a hot topic. “Oh, I’m sure. I’m not very well liked right now.”
♦ The absurdity: When Proctor finally got into the game, he walked his first batter. But he got the last laugh. He not only pitched two shutout innings and got the win, he had the game-winning RBI. Somehow. We were witness to the worst call by an official in the history of professional sports. (Hey, it’s late. I’m punchy. I’m entitled to make this declaration.) With Schafer on first and Julio Lugo on third, Proctor sent a ground ball to Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez. He stumbled as he took a step toward first. He joked later, “I forgot where first base was. I’m used to running to the dugout.” Alvarez fielded the ball and threw home to Michael McKenry. Lugo clearly was out by 10 feet — except on umpire Jerry Meals’ home planet. Meals called him safe. Then Clint Hurdle’s head exploded.
♦ Proctor was mobbed by teammates. It’s not the first time he has been in the middle of a mob scene. It’s just the first time people weren’t carrying torches and pitchforks.
♦ Some amusing commentary: This is from Braves general manager Frank Wren (following an eye roll and a smile): “I wasn’t close enough to make a call.”
This is from Lugo (between smiles): “He made an appreciation call.” A what? “He appreciated whether I was safe or out. I was safe.”
This is from Eric Hinske, as he walked past Proctor: “That guy can hit!”
This is from Schafer: “I started going back to second base. Then I saw Julio jumping up and down and I was like, ‘Wait, what happened? Oh. I guess we won.’ I thought he was out. But we’ll take it.”
This is from McKenry to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “I was kind of baffled. I didn’t know what to do or what to say.”
This is from Meals, who possibly was suffering from dehydration, heat prostration or dementia, to pool reporter Mark Bowman of MLB.com: “I saw the tag, but he looked like he oléd him and I called him safe for that. I looked at the replays and it appeared he might have got him on the shin area. I’m guessing he might have got him, but when I was out there when it happened I didn’t see a tag.”
Excuse me, but: “He oléd him”?
♦ One more number: Martin Prado would like to forget this one. He went 0-for-9. The game ended with him in the on-deck circle. Fortunately.
♦ Even one more number: The Braves stranded 23 baserunners.
♦ OK, final numbers: Dan Uggla has a 17-game hitting streak. But after singling in his first two at-bats to reach and pass .200 for the first time since May 16, he went hitless with a walk in his next seven plate appearances. He finished at 2-for-8 and saw his season average drop from .202 in the third inning to .199. Millions of little children had gone to sleep thinking Uggla would finally end a day hitting over .200.
With that, I’m going home now. It’s 4:44 in the morning. Traffic should be clear.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Earlier: Heyward still determined to make impact on Braves’ system
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354 comments Add your comment
EBATL
July 27th, 2011
9:18 am
Two words come to mind: Rick Camp.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
July 27th, 2011
9:21 am
If he had not been for blogging on the blog during the game last night, no way do I make it through that game. The one liners at 1 in the morning of bloggers somaching through a game that had not seen a run scored in over five hours creates some hysteria.
Also boy when the ball beats the runner like it did you usually see that a out 9.9 outta 10 times even if the tag is a phantom tag.
jay
July 27th, 2011
9:22 am
After seeing this play multiple times from multiple angles it looks like he whiffs.If this was instant replay, the way football works, this call would not have been overturned.
Lou
July 27th, 2011
9:22 am
Watched the worst called game by a so called umpire that finished with a flurry. To the nuts that did not see the tag go get a checkup on your eyes. It is just wishful thinking that the Braves actually won.
Tech Tard
July 27th, 2011
9:24 am
Martinez was clutch. The guy pitched six shutout innings! Beltran NOW!!!!!!!
Donald
July 27th, 2011
9:27 am
What I think is funny, all the horrendous calls that went against the Braves and nobody said anything about what a bad call it was. The Braves get a bad call for them and all of a sudden everybody in the baseball world is crying about what a bad call it was.
BigTimeTechFan
July 27th, 2011
9:27 am
Actually the more I watch it it may have been a great call by the ump, The glove misses, looks like he did olé him.
Dan Ronan
July 27th, 2011
9:27 am
Nick Granite is right. You have to watch the replay several times and at best it’s inconclusive if the swipe tag touched the runner. The catcher moves into position and swings his glove around, but IF there’s contact with the glove and the runners body, it’s very, very slight and on the video it’s not clear. The catcher should have planted the tag on the runner, instead he didn’t, the Braves win and a very good umpire gets hung out to dry by the know nothing media, again.
Gene Chizik is funny looking
July 27th, 2011
9:30 am
2 things: The Phillies won a game last year when a game-winning hit was called foul (don’t remember their opponent) when it was CLEARLY fair. That call violated the laws of Physics and was much worse than last night.
Also, what date was McCann put on the disabled list? He last played on the 26th, but since he played in game that ended on the 27th, would that possibly push his return back one more day?
bravesfanforever
July 27th, 2011
9:32 am
It is time for McCouth to go.He made bad throw in the first game and last night he couldn’t hit the broadside of the barn and he knew we were shorthanded and he gets thrown out of the game.Also Gonzalez looks like he has got a chip on his shoulder.He needs to go with McClouth.Proctor looked like the lonely Maytag repairman in the bullpen.Got to hand it to Martinez.He thru great and he can hit.Why doesn’t he start for us instead of lowe.This is the second time he has pitched well over a lot of innings in a game.We need a bat more than ever now.Got to hand it too Schafer for playing hurt.The planets seem to be not aligned for us to make it to the playoffs.I also wonder how the parents of the little girl who was cheering her pirates on would tolerate her screaming all night at home.Somebody must have feed her a lot of chocalate,but I got to admire her.We definitely needed that win last night even if it was tainted.
Burfod DAWG fan
July 27th, 2011
9:32 am
AT LEAST THE BRAQVES WON
Hit A Single
July 27th, 2011
9:35 am
The bottom line is that McHenry should have put the tag on him and not olayed it. I applaud the Atlanta crowd and the Pirate fans on the atmosphere at the park. Brought back memories of Rick Camp on July 4 and his homerun against the Mets at Fulton Co.
Larry Munson
July 27th, 2011
9:36 am
I wet my pants again. Old age sucks.
Hit A Single
July 27th, 2011
9:36 am
Also pretty gutty perfromance by Procter also. He competed on the mound and at the plate.
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:37 am
I sort of think’s it funny that Clint Hurdle laughed the entire game, as they benefited from two strike zones all night, as their pitcher nailed schafer hurt hand with a pitch, and as their player hits david ross in the head with the bat. It was all funny, but the Braves got the last laugh. GO BRAVES!!!!
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:38 am
And that guy in the crowd had a ton of cups.
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:40 am
Someone needs to tell ESPN how poor the strike zone was all night. Lugo was closer to home than some of Meals’ strikes. I love how they twist this to be the Braves should have lost.
extremus
July 27th, 2011
9:41 am
I said this last night after the game and I’ll say it again: as BADLY as I wanted to see the Braves win after staying up and investing all of that time watching the game, the end result left me with the most hollow feeling I’ve had as a fan after a win. Yes, the Braves NEEDED that win, especially after seeing Brian McCann go down with an injury and Martinez make the awesome effort he did both on the mound and at the plate (the guy did EVERYTHING that was asked of him and then some).
But in the end it came down to the most blatantly wrong call at home plate that I have ever seen that decided the outcome; everyone in the stadium and watching at home KNEW that Lugo was out. Did Meals call him safe simply because the game had gone on so long on a hot night, with swarms of gnats around home plate pestering him, the catchers, and the batters, and because he and everyone else were just exhausted and he wanted to get out of there and go to bed? I don’t know; only he does.
But I cannot feel justified in cheering the call or the outcome though the Braves sorely needed the win and I want to see them win every time out; we all know deep down the Braves did not win that game (at least they didn’t on THAT play; who knows what may have happened afterward had the right call been made? The Braves still would have had a man 90 feet away with two out.). Bad calls happen all the time, true, but to decide a Major League game between two teams that had both worked so hard and long for (the Pirates and their fans have EVERY right to be angry and to protest that game) in such an openly unfair manner is just WRONG.
Win or lose, you give your best on the field, and you do so honorably and honestly. You don’t accept an outcome like this, win or lose; if this had happened to the Braves I know for sure folks would be up in arms here, so let’s not be hypocritical; the Pirates deserved better. This is the worst call I’ve seen since Armando Galarraga had his perfect game taken by a blown call last year, and from an obviousness standpoint it’s far worse. The power of the umpires is WAY too absolute and final in MLB. I’ve never been a proponent of instant replay, but last night at Turner Field, the game and BOTH teams, whether we want to admit it or not, would have benefited from it.
I’ve never been more upset over a win. I want to see the Braves win, absolutely…just not THIS way. We ALL got robbed last night.
archie
July 27th, 2011
9:44 am
1. McLouth should be released, immediately. He hurts this team day after day, and his girly tantrum last night should be the final straw.
2. Alex Gonzalez should be benched, immediately. Julio Lugo has earned a starting nod, after last night.
3. Scott Proctor is the luckiest man in the USA today. Freddie Freeman saved him not once, but twice with amazing plays. Which brings us to his first ever major league RBI:
Of course, nothing will happen to Jerry Meals. MLB pampers it’s inept umpires. Always has, always will. However, there should be a rule that after a certain amount of innings (14, 15?) or a certain amount of time (5 hours?), the plate umpire switches positions with another ump (2nd base ump would make most sense). Meals had that heavy gear on for 7 hours on a hot southern night, and obviously couldn’t see straight.
Hit A Single
July 27th, 2011
9:44 am
After watching all the replays I couldn’t tell you if he touched Lugo, so don’t give me that need for replay. Even Simpson and Caray said it look like he did, but they couldn’t tell. Give the ump credit for calling it and not saying that just because the throw beat him he is out. He didn’t see the tag make contact and called him safe. I have seen many tags at second on steals that were alot worse. I am sick of the Phantom Tags.
Ian
July 27th, 2011
9:46 am
It took guts for the ump to call it,but Did I hear him say,” Oh……..H…..I’m tired…….enough of this!” before calling him safe……………lol
Ghostrider
July 27th, 2011
9:47 am
Martinez pitched like a stud last night…Awesome
Hit A Single
July 27th, 2011
9:48 am
extremus- I all evens out over the season.
Ted M
July 27th, 2011
9:48 am
he oléd him…omg…even if that was the case, Lugo never touched the plate at least not till after he called him safe and scrambled to the plate.
We probably would have won fair and square with Prado as the next batter. I would have liked to see that.
Toni
July 27th, 2011
9:48 am
Coachtop: Call was reversed on Uggla’s hit Sunday (which it was). It was previously called an error but was changed the next day. Therefore a continued streak.
PMC
July 27th, 2011
9:50 am
maybe it wasn’t all that bad, The block was good and the throw was perfect but Meals was closer to it than we all were. I still think he got him on the ankle but I guess I understand his comment anyway.
The strike zone was very odd all night, but I do think he called it the same for both teams. After the low strike is called 10 times, hitters should have adjusted. The one that McClouth was butthurt about was a strike anyway.
TechMan
July 27th, 2011
9:52 am
They missed a call at the plate in the Reds game and it went against the Braves….nobody’s complaining about that. That’s what I like about the Braves good/bad call they just keep on playing with no complaints….now our sports writers, now that’s another story
Archie
July 27th, 2011
9:53 am
Technically, that wasn’t an awful call because I believe the ump made it on purpose. That ump just wanted to go to bed like the rest of us, not a single player had even sniffed home plate in 10 innings, if he didn’t call that runner safe at the plate the game would still be going on! Besides, neither team has any grounds to complain for losing that game, when you can’t push one run across the plate in 10 straight innings then you have no argument.
JASon
July 27th, 2011
9:55 am
I turned the game off after the 17th. A pathetic showing by both teams to not even be able to string a few hits together at any point. Good for the umpire to end the debacle and send everyone home.
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:56 am
The best I can tell the Pirates had 16 innings where they couldn’t score. So Clint, blame your offense, don’t blame the ump. You had 3 innings of a pitcher with an 8 ERA, and couldn’t score.
OUT
July 27th, 2011
9:58 am
The catcher touched him because he never tried to re-tag him.
extremus
July 27th, 2011
9:59 am
The Braves’ announcers talked about how the Pirates’ writers had told them how frustrating it was to watch the Pirates sometimes as far as getting runs home. Hmm, I think we Braves fans can relate. Last night we all got the answer to the age-old question: “What happens when an immovable object goes up against ANOTHER immovable object?”.
We could use a pick-up on offense, no question.
The Bream Team
July 27th, 2011
9:59 am
Clint, if your team actually gets that squeeze bunt play right, guess what? you win. you can’t whine about umpires, when your team failed itself.
Bravermen
July 27th, 2011
10:00 am
Ump blew that call. This time it went the Braves way but in general no one likes bad umpiring because sooner or later it will negatively affect every team. All I want is for the umps to have a consistent strike zone and to get calls right. The players will take care of the rest.
Diana Laughlin
July 27th, 2011
10:04 am
I live less than an hour from Pittsburgh…diehard Bucco fan, stayed up until the end. I’m at work now with my face actually hurting from lack of sleep, mad, pouting, and no one to vent to because I work with a bunch of women who don’t care about baseball…so I decided to check out Atlanta’s perspective on the game. I have to say your article made me laugh out loud. Great writing! Keep up the good work.
Julio Lugo
July 27th, 2011
10:07 am
I was clearly safe. Sports center says I was safe and so do I. He never touched me. He tried to swipe me but he missed and I popped up tagged the plate ball game. Shultzie i think its time for a new career or a new pair of glasses you moron.
Your almost as bad as the ESPN blog that has a video of him being safe bbut calling it the worst call in history of baseball. At least AJC hasnt thrown you under the bus like they did to the ESPN blogger. He had to pull his blog down because of all the negative feedback. hahahahahaha I WAS SAFE, NEVER GOT TAGGED AND BRAVES WIN.
DHD
July 27th, 2011
10:10 am
I have to be honest….I see what the ump thought he saw. He looked like he did a phantom tag. The problem is, with the controversy of collisions at home, you have to make an out call there. The catcher had him and didn’t make an attempt to hit him hard with the tag. He has to make the out call there but I can see where the ump thought he missed him. Had that been in the third inning, it wouldn’t have that big of a deal. The ump wanted to go home.
PMC
July 27th, 2011
10:10 am
All in all if baseball weren’t run by hopeless dinosaurs romancing about “the human element” We wouldn’t have calls like this. Replay would overturn it.
They should just pick this game up at some point in the 19th and go until someone finally hits the ball out of the infield with RISP.
PMC
July 27th, 2011
10:11 am
Seriously though, Lugo should start for a while. At the very least, he’s more fun to watch than AGonz.
RSD
July 27th, 2011
10:11 am
@Gene 930a- that game was against the Marlins in Miami late last season. It was a horrible call. I agree with you.
He Was SAFE
July 27th, 2011
10:12 am
U have to be an idiot to say that we get rid of umpires. That would make games twice as long and boring as watching paint dry. Get a clue, he was safe. Right Call was made
Lou Brown
July 27th, 2011
10:17 am
Dorne, don’t give me this ole bullsh*t
Bud
July 27th, 2011
10:20 am
I thnk there is room for doiubt. I saw all the camera angles all the networks, and there was no definitive view. You see a slo-mo replay of the tag, and one could say he missed him. It didn’t look like the glove touched anything, it didn’t change direction, it didn’t look like it was deflected, and there was no change to the reaction of the glove, hand, or arm. It was obvious the only place Lugo could have been tagged was on the lower leg. After viewing every camera angle all the TV broadcaster seemed ot have, the best angle was had by the umpire. So, as I said, there is room for doiubt.
Hap
July 27th, 2011
10:20 am
It looks like the ump never saw the tag because he was moving the bat out of the way. When Proctor hit the ball he drops the bat straight down and the catcher actually has to jump over the bat to get in position to take the throw. Meals picks up the bat and throws it out of the way then looks up in time to see the swipe tag, but misses the very beginning where the tag probably (ok really really probably) gets Lugo’s leg. The catcher never tags Lugo again and a stunned Lugo after having missed the plate then hops onto it.
So yeah, bad call, but not the worst call ever.
Contractor
July 27th, 2011
10:21 am
Lou Brown,
Ha Ha, funny as hell. And by the way, how would you like the manage the Cleveland Indians?
Shaggy1973
July 27th, 2011
10:28 am
Bad call or not, I am just glad one finally went the Braves way.
pete
July 27th, 2011
10:33 am
ESPN showed a different replay and it looks like he did miss the tag. LOL, all this hoopla and the ump may have been right
Hillbilly D
July 27th, 2011
10:36 am
In all honesty, that play at the plate was as bad a call as I’ve ever seen.
Spartacus
July 27th, 2011
10:37 am
Let me just say, that as a high school umpire, I run into these kinds of plays all of the time. We are trained to follow the ball all the way through the tag. It doesn’t matter when the ball arrives, especially at home plate. We must see a tag. The umpire (even though I thought his strike zone was terrible all night) was in perfect position and it’s very easy to understand why he made the call he did. The tag was applied quickly and then swept straight up. From the umpires angle (which, by the way, is the only one that matters) it probably looked like a careless tag from the catcher that never made contact with the runner. It doesn’t matter that the ball beat the runner, the tag must be made clearly in order to get the out call, especially with the winning run. Now, I will say, it takes a lot of guts to make that call, because the ump knows he’s going to get reamed for it, but it really wasn’t that bad of a call, considering he’s been on his feet for over 6 hours on a really hot night and people yelling at you all night. I think that when a game goes past 10 innings, they should take a 15 minute break and one of the field umpires should come in and relieve the plate umpire. You have no idea, unless you’ve done it, how tiring it is to be behind the plate for that long. The umpires are the only ones on the field that don’t get breaks or time to sit down for a minute or two in order to rest their legs. All I can say, is that unless you have ever suited up behind home plate and tried to call a game, then you have no idea how difficult some of these calls can be. Yes, I know they are professionals, but that doesn’t make it any easier to make some of the calls they make! You still have to call what you see. And by the way, a tie does not go to the runner, but to the umpire. There is nothing in the rule book that states that a tie goes to the runner. A good umpire calls a runner out on a tie in every situation in order to remain consistent!
StvenC
July 27th, 2011
10:39 am
Hey, I thought Chip Caray and Joe Simpson did a terrific job staying cheery and ON TOPIC (the baseball game being the topic!) in the extra innings! Chip wasn’t “complaining” about how late it was getting, he was MARVELING at how late it was getting! If you want to bellyache about the announcers, how about Don Sutton who will go 10 minutes on the radio without telling you the SCORE in the game? Now, the call: I was totally, totally convinced that Lugo was OUT when I saw the play on TV. I’m willing to have a replay change my mind, but I haven’t seen the replay yet that changes it. I think Means felt guilty about the lousy calls he’d made earlier in the game and overcompensated with one AWFUL call in the Braves’ favor. But, like they say — that’s baseball.