Another day, another umpiring controversy. From balls-and-strikes calls to check swings to askew hats, the MLB world witnessed plenty of controversy between umpires and teams. The latest dispute unfolded on Friday, when the Pittsburgh Pirates clashed with the Chicago Cubs during their series opener at Wrigley Field.
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With runners moving at full speed and tags often coming down to the last milliseconds, calling stolen-base attempts in real time is no easy task, but overlooking the obvious, even with the help of replay review, is unacceptable. Pirates manager Don Kelly made sure that the umpires at Friday night’s game were well aware of that. After Oneil Cruz was put out at second base and the call was not overturned after replay review, Kelly exploded at the umpires from the dugout.
“You gotta be sh****** me! Let’s go!” Kelly said, per Jomboy Media on X. “Holy F***! How in the world do you not overturn that?”
The controversy unfolded early in the game. With zero outs at the top of the first, Oneil Cruz hit an RBI single, scoring Konnor Griffin. With Bryan Reynolds next up at the plate, Cruz took the opportunity to steal second. The Cubs second baseman, Pedro Ramirez, put him out at second; the Pirates immediately challenged.
Replay review clearly showed Cruz touching the bag before Ramirez tagged him. Yet first base umpire Lance Barksdale did not overturn the call, triggering Don Kelly‘s outburst.
The difference between Cruz reaching the bag and Ramirez’s tag might have been milliseconds, but it was clearly visible who got the job done first. In fact, this is not the first time a stolen base controversy has emerged this season. Other teams have also found themselves in the middle of disputed calls over stolen base attempts. The Cubs had landed in a similar predicament in June.
Facing the New York Mets right-hander Tobias Myers on the mound at the top of the seventh, Pete Crow-Armstrong walked leadoff. Then, two batters later, Michael Busch drew another walk on a 3-2 count when PCA attempted to steal second base. As PCA slid, Bo Bichette maintained the tag on the Cubs star throughout his slide, but second-base umpire Stu Scheurwater called Crow-Armstrong safe. The call put runners on first and second.
The Mets manager immediately challenged the on-field call. Following the replay review, the umpires said that PCA touched and lost contact with the bag for a few seconds when Bichette was applying the tag. The initial call was overturned. As the Cubs manager disagreed, a frustrated Craig Counsell was ejected from the game.
Coming back to Friday, before the Pirates fell 12-2 to the Cubs, the club had activated Ryan O’Hearn.
The Pirates activate Ryan O’Hearn
The Pirates’ offense fell flat with Shota Imanaga on the mound during the series opener. Oneil Cruz’s RBI single in the first inning and Bryan Reynolds’ solo homer in the sixth were the only scoring plays the Pirates recorded. But ahead of the crushing defeat, the Pirates got a positive update for their fans.
The Pirates activated Ryan O’Hearn from the 10-day IL before Friday’s game. The 33-year-old had strained his left quad while running to first base on July 31 against the Cincinnati Reds. He was rehabbing at Triple-A Indianapolis for the last week.
“I think if you would have told me on July 31 I was going to get a chance to come back and play in the middle of September and play meaningful baseball, I would have definitely taken that deal. So I am very happy,” O’Hearn reportedly said after he was activated.
The veteran player did not start on Friday, but came in as a pinch-hitter at the top of the seventh. He took over first base in the bottom of the seventh and went hitless in his two at-bats.
O’Hearn is hitting .269 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs this season. In a corresponding move, the Pirates have optioned Ronny Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Holding a 74-74 record, the Pirates are just at the .500 threshold. They are 5.5 games behind the final NL Wild Card spot. Only time will tell if they can make it to the postseason.