In the Diamondbacks’ 3-0 win over the Oakland Athletics, there was an important call in the first inning that could have decided the outcome of the game. With two outs in the inning, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled then Christian Walker lined a ball off the left field wall. Both teams attempted to complete the play, with a play at the plate involving Gurriel, but the batted ball was ruled foul by third base umpire Alex Tosi.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Diamondbacks immediately challenged the call, with replay showing that the ball hit the yellow padding in front of the bullpen, but below the home run line. With a foul ball call about to be overturned, the question became the placement of the runners. Crew chief Adam Hamari announced that the runners would be placed at second and third. A shot on the television broadcast showed Walker shaking his head in disgust that Gurriel was not awarded home plate and not getting an RBI for that double.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo came out, but with the rules clear on arguing replay calls he didn’t have much wiggle room. The argument between him and Hamari then shifted towards the ability to argue the call in the first place.
“He said that I can’t argue, we spent most of the time arguing why I couldn’t argue,” said Lovullo said in the postgame breakdown on Dbacks TV. “He asked me if I wanted to get thrown out and I said yes I do. Then he said are you sure, then I said no I’m not and I just turned around like a good doggy and got back into the dugout.”
The explanation that Lovullo got is from the high overhead angle in New York, that Gurriel would not have likely scored. Had this not been a replay decision, he would have argued that the play was completed on the field. Had he gotten the rationale behind the placement of the runners, Lovullo would have considered getting ejected from the game.
Even with the unfavorable placement of the runners, the team still had two runners in scoring position with Randal Grichuk facing a left-handed pitcher. Grichuk fouled out to first base, resulting in the Diamondbacks not scoring in the inning. What could have been a run had the play not been stopped by the foul ball call turned into a missed opportunity and possibly had a lingering effect on the game.
Ultimately, that call had no impact on the game’s outcome. The Diamondbacks plated three runs off Oakland starter Hogan Harris, then cruised to a victory with Zac Gallen and the bullpen throwing a two-hit shutout.
Zac Gallen dominant in first start back in Diamondbacks’ 3-0 win over the Athletics
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
