Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves featured a controversial call and review.
With the Phillies leading 2-0, Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, looking for a hit to essentially put Game 1 on ice. Realmuto didn’t get the result he was looking for but did get an acceptable result when catcher’s interference was called on a 2-1 pitch, which Realmuto fouled away. He was awarded first base, Trea Turner came in from third to score, while Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper advanced to second and third, respectively.
What was unusual was that Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy immediately expressed his frustration, seemingly signaling that the interference call was correct. Only, as the play was being reviewed, all of the replays showed seemed to indicate that the call might be incorrect. Still, the ruling on the field was upheld.
Phillies get a run when Braves catcher Sean Murphy is controversially called for catcher's interference with the bases loaded.
J. T. Realmuto gets first base, while all other runners move up one bag. pic.twitter.com/oYZlxiuvWI
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 8, 2023
Upset with the review, some of the fans at Truist Park responded by throwing garbage onto the field, causing a brief delay in the game.
Unhappy with the ruling, some fans in Atlanta throw garbage onto the field pic.twitter.com/J2Z9BQoyee
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 8, 2023
Both the call and the subsequent throwing of garbage onto the field got a big reaction from the MLB world on Saturday night.
Millions spent on technology … no video evidence of catchers interference.. but MLB allows call to stand 🤷🏻♂️pic.twitter.com/8u4m4vJULV
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) October 8, 2023
terrible call. https://t.co/HqCwIg3jJY
— Jim Hicks (@js_hicks) October 8, 2023
Catchers interference pic.twitter.com/qfqIorS7QY
— Aidan Doc🧸 (@AidanDoc_) October 8, 2023
I don't see catcher's interference which means it'll be catcher's interference.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) October 8, 2023
How are we still this bad at replay reviews? https://t.co/i6xTwfWoAZ
— Richie Flores (@RFlores91) October 8, 2023
Not OK https://t.co/6naURnAtxL
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) October 8, 2023
The 3-0 margin ended up being the final score. Atlanta would threaten in the bottom of the eighth, but Philadelphia got out of the jam with a double play off of the bat of Ozzie Albies. Both teams went down in order in the ninth inning, giving the Phillies a 3-0 win in the game and a 1-0 lead in the series.
[Photo Credit: TBS]
