MLB’s current review system has been in place for over seven years, but as evidenced by the blown call in Tuesday night’s Mets/Orioles game at Camden Yards—a play Mets announcer Gary Cohen had plenty to say about—there are still kinks to be worked out. In the bottom half of the first, O’s cleanup hitter Ryan Mountcastle grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but apparently umpire Alan Porter disagreed, insisting Mountcastle beat out Francisco Lindor’s throw to first baseman James McCann. That prompted an unsuccessful challenge by Mets manager Luis Rojas and a lengthy rant from Cohen, who just about lost his mind in the SNY broadcast booth.
“After all of that? They take so much time and they get it wrong. I just don’t understand. How can that be?” asked Cohen, beside himself that, after taking an eternity to review what looked to be a fairly obviously call, the replay officials still whiffed. “What is the point of having review if they don’t even get the calls right? It’s pathetic. Just take the whole system and throw it in the garbage.” Color analyst Ron Darling was similarly baffled, expressing his bewilderment at the play’s outcome.
“Just awful,” remarked Darling in solidarity with Cohen. “What are we doing here?”
Missing the call is one thing, but doing so while also slowing the game to a crawl? Well that’s a bridge too far for Cohen. “It only has to hit something in the mitt before the foot hits the bag, which clearly it did. And yet, they didn’t overturn the call. And it took them FOREVER to not overturn it,” said an exasperated Cohen. “It’s just a joke. It’s a total and utter joke.”
Compared to the suspect strike three that cost the Yankees in their loss to Boston Sunday night, the botched call at first proved harmless—the Mets escaped the inning without allowing a run (though Baltimore would ultimately cross the plate 10 times in a lopsided Orioles victory). But obviously for Cohen and others, that doesn’t make baseball’s flawed replay system any less infuriating.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram