Laurence Olivier would be proud of the acting job turned in by Ryan Spilborghs. With his back to the plate and in a full sprint, the Rockies’ center fielder made a diving attempt on Geoff Blum’s scorching liner in the seventh. Spilborghs emerged with the ball in his right hand, showing that he made the catch.
“I caught it in the air and tried to show (umpire Mark Wegner) the ball — that I caught,” Spilborghs said with a wry grin.
Replays, Houston reliever Doug Brocail watching from the bullpen and the Astros fans howling in protest said otherwise.
“It was definitely no catch,” Brocail said. “But you know what, as much as it stinks for us, he did a good job of showing the baseball.”
Houston manager Cecil Cooper was ejected for arguing, his first ouster of the season.
“The best I can tell you is, from the angle I had, I never saw the ball hit the ground,” Wegner said. “Coop asked me to get help and none of us could see the ball hit the ground, and the fielder came up with the ball like he caught it.”
When Spilborghs came to the plate in the eighth, fans serenaded him with chants of “cheater.”
“That was probably my favorite at-bat I’ve had in my entire life,” Spilborghs said.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
