Umpires' Early Reversal Helps Red Sox Open Up Lead In Game 1
BOSTON (CBS) – The 2004 Red Sox' championship run may never have been if not for two crucial umpire meetings in the ALCS which led to the reversal of calls in Boston's favor. If the 2013 club ends up having the same ending to their season, a similar meeting of umps in the opening inning of the World Series will be remembered the same.
With runners on first and second and one out, David Ortiz hit a ground ball to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who flipped the ball to the second base bag. There, Pete Kozma tried to make the catch and turn a double play, but he never secured the ball.
Despite the drop, second base umpire Dana DeMuth ruled that the drop came on the transfer, meaning Dustin Pedroia, who was running from first to second, was out.
Manager John Farrell immediately ran out of the Red Sox' dugout to protest.
The six umpires decided to get together for a meeting, and when it ended, they pointed for Pedroia to return to second base.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny protested vehemently, but to no avail.
Mike Napoli then stepped up for the Red Sox and lined a 2-0 pitch into the left-center field gap, allowing everyone on base to score to open up a 3-0 lead.
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright needed to throw 31 pitches to get out of that first inning, before surrendering two more runs in the second inning. The Red Sox would go on to win 8-1.
Back in 2004, the umpires met twice in Game 6, once after a Mark Bellhorn home run was initially ruled to have stayed in the yard, and once after Alex Rodriguez's slapping of the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove wasn't seen by the first base umpire. Jim Joyce was on the crew that night in '04, and he was also the right field umpire on Wednesday night.
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