Carlos Mendoza was furious over the call that ended Wednesday night’s Mets game at Citi Field, which ended in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs.
Pete Alonso was thrown out trying to tag up to score a run that would have tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, but a relay throw reached Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya just as Alonso was sliding in.
It looked as if Alonso had been able to sneak his hand in just he was tagged.
But home plate umpire Charlie Ramos called Alonso out, and even after a lengthy review, the call on the field was confirmed, which sent Mendoza storming out of the Mets dugout to argue with crew chief Chad Fairchild.
Mendoza was adamant Amaya blocked Alonso’s path.
“They send out a memo in spring training what’s legal and what’s illegal and it’s clearly on that email — that memo — that we got that catchers are not allowed to have their foot in front of the plate,” Mendoza said after the game. “On top of the plate, they cannot straddle without possession of the baseball. He was very clear that the guy had his left on top of the plate without the baseball. I think they got the wrong call.”
The chaos began when Jeff McNeil flied out to left field, with Cubs outfielder Ian Happ making the catch and quickly launching the ball to cutoff man Nick Madrigal, who sent it to Amaya for the tag.
That’s when the battle over whether Amaya blocked the plate began and if Alonso had gotten his hand on the plate before the tag.
After the call on the field was upheld, a hot mic caught Mendoza’s conversation with Fairchild.
“The rule says you cannot stand on home plate without the baseball,” Mendoza could be heard saying. “That’s bulls–t, man. That’s bulls–t.”
Fairchild told Mendoza to take up his issues with the league office.
“That’s really not up for me to decide,” Alonso said about the outcome of the play. “I was out. I mean I hustled as hard as I could. I made the best slide I could possibly make. The umpires said I was out, I was out”
Pete Alonso was safe or out at the plate. He was ruled out to end
the game. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The league also released a statement about the call and why the decision was made the way it was.
“After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined that no violation of the Home Plate Collision Rule occurred,” MLB’s replay center said in its statement. “The catcher’s initial setup was legal and he moved into the lane in reaction to the trajectory of the incoming throw. The call is confirmed, as it is not a violation.
“Additionally, the Replay Official could not definitively determine that the runner contacted home plate prior to catcher applying the tag. The call stands, and the runner is out.”
