Baseball world reacts to controversial Phillies-Braves call originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Early on in the 2021 MLB season, there has been no shortage of drama in the NL East.
Just days after a Mets-Marlins game was decided by a controversial call on a walk-off hit-by-pitch, Sunday night's matchup between the Braves and Phillies also came down to a play at the plate.
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In the top of the ninth with the game tied at 6-6, Didi Gregorius flew out to left field, prompting Alec Bohm to tag up from third. The throw from Marcel Ozuna created a bang-bang play with Bohm being ruled safe.
Yet, the Braves opted to challenge the play claiming that Bohm was out, and angles of the replay appeared to show that Bohm never actually touched home plate when sliding.
After reviewing the play, the call stood and Philadelphia eventually escaped with a 7-6 victory on the road. According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the explanation from Major League Baseball was that there was no clear angle that could lead to the call being overturned.
Of course, Twitter immediately had some reactions to the events that unfolded. That included the likes of Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who responded to a tweet from former MLB player Will Middlebrooks stating that he did not agree with the ruling.
Braves players also sounded off following the loss, with starting pitcher Drew Smyly calling the whole sequence "embarrassing."
On the other side, Bohm was much more content with what the call on the field was.
It's only been just over a week of baseball in the NL East, but there's been no shortage of drama. In a division race that could be tight until the very end, that should only continue.
