The Los Angeles Dodgers were on the wrong end of a 6-5 final score in Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The game when Mookie Betts struck out on a strike three call that would best be described as debatable.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts weighed in on the controversial call.
Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times quoted Roberts, saying “He missed it. Everyone is trying to compete, all of us. And it’s unfortunate that missed call determined the finality of that game.”
Roberts added that “You just hate to see the game determined by someone who’s not wearing a player’s uniform.”
Dave Roberts on this call: “He missed it. Everyone is trying to compete, all of us. And it’s unfortunate that missed call determined the finality of that game."
He later added: "You just hate to see the game determined by someone whose not wearing a player’s uniform.” https://t.co/PA3xAhqSI5
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) May 21, 2023
To push back a little on what Roberts said, the call did end the game, but it’s not necessarily what determined the outcome. Even if umpire Paul Emmel had made the correct call, the Dodgers would have still been losing with the outs in the ninth inning.
That said, if Emmel had made the right call, the next hitter would have been Freddie Freeman, who’s hitting .323/.394/.554 and was 2-for-3 in the game. He would have been at the plate with Jason Heyward on second base and Betts at first, representing the tying and go-ahead runs, respectively. That’s a good hitter, having a good day, with two speedy runners on base.
This wasn’t exactly an inconsequential call made to end a blowout. This was an abysmal call made to end a one-run game.
And the more calls like this happen, the louder the calls for robot umpires will become.
