Chicago – The ninth-inning strikeout that wasn’t an out sent U.S. Cellular Field into a frenzy Wednesday night.
On one side were the victorious Chicago White Sox, who took a controversial dropped third strike and ran with it all the way to a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. On the other side of the craziness were the Los Angeles Angels, who figured they were the victims of the biggest Chicago heist since the days of Al Capone.
“I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am in the call and how this game ended,” said Angels catcher Josh Paul, one of the central characters in the drama. “I caught the ball, it was strike three; the inning was over.”
That’s how it will live in Paul’s mind, but not in the record book.
The record will show the White Sox’s Joe Crede rocketed a two-out double off the left-field wall to score pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna and even the ALCS at 1-1. But there would not have been a base-runner had it not been for the controversial call moments before.
Pierzynski struck out swinging for the apparent third out of the ninth against Angels reliever Kelvim Escobar. But home plate umpire Doug Eddings ruled Paul didn’t field the ball cleanly. Pierzynski alertly sprinted to first on the dropped third strike. He was replaced by Ozuna, who then stole second and scored the winning run on Crede’s double.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia vehemently disputed the dropped third strike, during and after the game. And he was even more convinced the call was botched after seeing TV replays.
“It was a swing, our catcher caught it, Doug Eddings called him out and somewhere along the line – because the guy ran to first base – he altered the call,” Scioscia said. “He called him out. That’s what’s disappointing. When an umpire calls a guy out, and you’re the catcher – and I’ve caught my share of them – he’s out.”
Paul, who was charged with an error, said he was positive he caught the ball cleanly.
“If I didn’t think so, if the ball was in the dirt, I would have tagged him. I always do that. That’s all I would have had to do,” he said.
Escobar also swore it was a clean strikeout.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “I saw (the umpire) point that he was out, so he was out. But what can you do?”
Eddings stood firmly by his call. He said Paul trapped the third strike and claimed his arm motion – a motion that included a clenched fist – signaled a third strike, not the final out.
“My interpretation is that’s my strike three mechanics when it’s a swinging strike,” Eddings said. “If you watch, that’s what I do the entire game.”
Eddings said he also saw the replay and said it was clear to him Paul did not catch the ball.
“We saw a couple of different angles, and if you watch it, the ball changes directions, so I don’t see how you guys can say it’s a clearly caught ball,” Eddings said.
The controversy overshadowed a terrific pitching duel among White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, Angels starter Jarrod Washburn and the Angels relievers.
“Don’t forget what we did, and what they did, too,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said, trying to steer postgame talk away from the controversy. “Don’t forget that we did win the game. Buehrle threw a pretty good game, and we played pretty good defense.”
The Chicago lefty picked up the complete-game win, allowing just five hits, and earned his second victory of the postseason.
Buehrle struck out four, and his only goof was giving up a solo homer to Angels third baseman Robb Quinlan to open the fifth inning. Quinlan drove the 1-0 pitch deep into the left-field seats to tie the game at 1.
A rare Angels error led to the White Sox’s run in the first. Washburn cleanly fielded Scott Podsednik’s shot back to the mound, but then Washburn sailed his throw over leaping first baseman Darin Erstad for a two-base error. Podsednik moved to third on Tadahito Iguchi’s soft sacrifice bunt, then scored on Jermaine Dye’s groundout to short.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
