CLEVELAND — Somewhere Clint Hurdle and Dan O’Dowd are saying, “I told you so.”
In the third inning of Game 5 of the ALCS, Manny Ramirez hit what appeared to be a two-run home run against C.C. Sabathia, the baseball striking the yellow line high on the left-center field fence.
Instead of bouncing into the stands, the ball bounced back on the field. Cleveland right fielder Franklin Gutierrez collected it and threw it into the infield, holding Ramirez to an RBI single.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona immediately came out of the visiting dugout to argue with first-base and right-field umpires Dana DeMuth and Paul Emmel. Replays seemed to show the hit should have been a home run, but after huddling with the entire crew, the umpires ruled it wasn’t. The crew said local ground rules mandate that balls have to clear the line to be ruled a home run.
Whether the call was correct or not, the incident lent credence to the feeling of the Rockies’ manager and general manager. At least four times during the regular season, including the Oct. 1 play-in game against the San Diego Padres, the Rockies lost home runs under similar circumstances. That led Hurdle and O’Dowd to lobby for the use of instant replay.
The push failed to gain traction with baseball officials however, with commissioner Bud Selig saying he isn’t a fan of using the available technology to determine the outcome of games.
Killing time
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge was also asked his opinion of the elongated ALCS schedule. This is the first postseason in which the two teams have had an off day in the same city and the first best-of-seven series to feature a day off between Games 4 and 5.
“I think the way it’s played out has been good for us,” Wedge said. “Our guys are far enough along now where they know what they need to do or what they don’t need to do to get the most out of those days.”
Snow days?
It’s interesting to note that there will be no such breaks during the World Series. There are travel days between Games 2 and 3, when the series moves from either Cleveland or Boston to Denver, and again if it has to go back East after Game 5. Games 3, 4 and 5 will be played on consecutive days in Colorado.
Do you think the fact that the Series already could possibly end on Nov. 1 has anything to do with that? Ten years ago Thursday, Cleveland lost 7-4 to Florida in Game 1 of the Series.
Speaking of weather, it rained off and on here, creating the possibility of a rainout.
