MLB umpire’s call overturned for first time using expanded replay
Umpire Ted Barrett, left, signalled an out call after listening to the central replay booth in New York in the sixth inning of an opening day baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE » An umpire’s call was overturned Monday for the first time under Major League Baseball’s expanded replay system, with Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun ruled out instead of safe.
Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez challenged the sixth-inning play at Miller Park in the season opener won by Milwaukee, 2-0. Braun was originally called safe at first base by umpire Greg Gibson on a leadoff infield single fielded by third baseman Chris Johnson.
The umpires gathered near the third base line during the review, while Braun waited near first base. The call was reversed to out after a review that lasted 58 seconds, and Braun ran back to the dugout.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said after the game that he thought the review lasted much longer, and that was going to watch a replay of the replay play to time the decision.
Still, he was pleased overall.
"You know what? They got the play right. That’s the bottom line," Gonzalez said. "It’s a process that they (were) looking at two to three years of working through the kinks."
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Braun thought it worked out, too, even if he was called out.
"I had a pretty good idea that I was out. For all of us we just hope they get it right, and they did get it right," he said.
Minutes after Braun’s hit was overturned, another call on opening day was overturned in Pittsburgh when a Chicago Cubs runner was eventually ruled out at first base on a pickoff.
Earlier in the day, expanded replay was used for the first time in the majors in the same Cubs-Pirates game at PNC Park. That umpire’s call at first base was confirmed.
Back at Miller Park, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought the debut of the expanded replay system went well. At one point, he ran out to second to question an umpire on an inning-ending double play. He decided not to challenge after getting a sign from the dugout that the team’s assigned replay reviewer thought the play was inconclusive.
"It’s kind of weird going out there. You used to go out there to kind of argue with the umpire. Now you go out there to say, ‘Hey, I didn’t see it good. What did you have?’" Roenicke said. "Then I’m just waiting to get a signal so it’s quite a different. It probably works out better this way."
