Schoop’s scoop saves run for Orioles after controversial umpire’s review
With their season on the line, the Detroit Tigers were willing to try anything to scratch out an early run against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the ALDS. That’s why after Alex Avila doubled with one out and advanced to third on Nick Castellanos’ fly out, Andrew Romine attempted to catch them off guard with a drag bunt.
Unfortunately for them, Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop was seemingly prepared for anything. When Romine dropped it down and pushed it past the pitcher, Schoop was ready and able to make the play.
Of course, there was more to the play than simply being ready. Schoop had to cover a lot of ground to get there, and with Romine running hard down the line, his only play was to scoop it with his glove and flip it on the run to first base. He did so cleanly, and just in the nick of time according to first-base umpire Jim Wolf.
Romine was ruled out on the field, though replays showed his foot contacted the base before Steve Pearce completed the catch.
Whether or not the ball has hit the back of the glove is something that’s looked at on reviews like this. Per the rule, Romine should have been ruled safe, which would have allowed the inning to continue and a potential game-changing run to score for Detroit. Instead, the Tigers lost a run and manager Brad Ausmus lost his lone manager’s challenge, which would prove even important one inning later when he was unable to challenge a possible obstruction.
All of that put together will only add to Detroit’s frustration after they ultimately lost the game, 2-1, and had their season come to an end. That said, Detroit simply didn’t do enough to overcome their shortcomings in this series, and that’s why they’ll be on the ouside look in.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
