Reactions To Phillies Beating Braves On Controversial Home Plate Call

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The Phillies beat the Braves 7-6 on Sunday night. Nothing unusual, it happens. Except the controversial call at home plate was the deciding factor in the game, and that clearly has people upset.

Alec Bohm was on third base ready to break the tie in the top of the ninth inning when Didi Gregorius had a pop up that allowed Bohm to take a chance at home plate. As Bohm slid in, the home play umpire called him safe, giving Philadelphia the lead — and eventually the win.

The problem is that it doesn’t look like Bohm ever touched home plate. Here are a few different angles, so you can see for yourself. Does it look like he ever touched it?

Folks, they spent several minutes using replay to look at this, and yet still left the call the same. I’m not sure how, but it’s easy to understand the frustration from Braves players, coaches and fans. In a postgame interview, pitcher Drew Smyly was ready to sound off about it.

“It’s a shame to end a game like that,” Smyly said, via NBC Sports. “In real time, it’s obviously bang-bang, but then we have five different angles on a nationally televised game, and it’s clear that his foot didn’t touch the plate, that it was on the chalk. Everyone saw it.

“For MLB not to overturn that, it’s embarrassing. Why even have replay if you won’t overturn that? They say there wasn’t enough evidence, but there were five different angles. It’s clear. He didn’t touch the plate.”

Smyly wasn’t the only one upset about it either. When catcher Travis d’Arnaud was asked whether the call made him lose faith in the replay system, here was his response:

“Absolutely. It makes me not even want it anymore, honestly,” d’Arnaud said. “It just slows the game down. It took 5 minutes for them to decide that, and to me they got it wrong. I’d rather just not have it.”

Shoot, the obvious missed call even had players from other teams criticizing the replay system. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was one of them.

What do you think?

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.

Alec BohmAtlanta Braveshome plateMLBPhiladelphia Phillies

Written by Clint Lamb

Clint Lamb is a College Football Writer for OutKick. Managing Editor for Roll Tide Wire. Sports radio host for The Bullpen on 730/103.9 The UMP. Co-host for The 'Bama Beat podcast through The Tuscaloosa News and TideSports.com.

6 Comments

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  1. One correction. Sunday night game.

    But, the big deal for me.
    I had the Braves in that game on the money line.
    Was I thinking “fix”?
    Yes. With the spread of sports betting if a call isn’t corrected by replay then there will be a lingering question about why the call wasn’t changed.

    • I don’t personally bet baseball games, but you raise a great point here. I get why the original call was safe, but to play the “call stands” card on what clearly was a missed call raises legit questions on fixing games.
      Then again MLB has never had issues of fixed games or cheating. RIGHT????

  3. It’s not a fix. If you think it is fixed who fixed it and why? Who gains from a random April game being fixed? Umpires make a good living. Risk vs. reward isn’t in favor of an ump fixing a meaningless game in April.

    They’re not punishing the Braves either. It’s just pure incompetence. This is not new when it comes to MLB and it’s umpires.

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