Yankees’ Gio Urshela draws a walk…after three balls originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
MLB umpires have had a tough 2021 season. Their woes seemed to continue Friday night during the New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park.
Detroit won the contest in a walk-off in the 10th inning by a final score of 3-2. The drama started in the sixth inning, though, as Yankees’ third baseman Gio Urshela drew a walk…after three balls. Urshela’s at-bat did include five foul balls, but the count stood at 3-2 when he strutted over to first base. Here’s the full sequence:
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Nobody caught it. Other than the people manning the scoreboard, it seemed as though not a single person in Comerica Park realized Urshela needed one more ball to draw a true walk.
While the umpires’ gaffe in the Urshela case did not end up costing the Tigers the game - he didn't even score in the inning, it comes as the latest in a long list of officiating miscues this season. In April, Alec Bohm of the Phillies scored a game-winning run, even though he never actually touched home plate. Three weeks later, Bryce Harper was ejected for correctly arguing a call which cost his teammate a chance at second base. Just 10 days ago, Nationals skipper Davey Martinez was ejected for arguing, again correctly, that Trea Turner beat out a throw to first base.
While missing calls on split-second decisions can be at least understood, it is difficult to justify mistaking 3-2 count for a walk. Math is tough for all of us, sometimes.