Dodgers announcer calls for MLB to make major change after Rays’ Yandy Diaz check swing controversy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Entering Monday night, the Tampa Bay Rays were down one game after losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1. The Rays have refused to give up all season, and nothing less is expected of them now.
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Tampa Bay couldn’t have written a better start to the game. In the top of the first inning, Liam Hicks hit the first home run of the World Series to put the Rays up 4-0.
“The World Series opener was all about small ball, featuring 12 singles, three stolen bases and no home runs – the first Fall Classic Game 1 without a homer since 2000. Liam Hicks muscled up and changed that narrative early, belting a two-run homer in the first inning of World Series Game 2 on Saturday evening at American Family Field that helped power the Rays’ early 4-0 lead,” MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch wrote.
Those were the only runs the Rays would score on the night. The Brewers went on to win the game.
“The Brewers pulled off a stunning 5-4 victory over the Rays at American Family Field, taking a 2-0 lead in their bid for the first World Series championship in franchise history. Really, at this point, there may be no stopping them. The Brewers were down 4-0 just five batters into the game, teasing the Rays that they were going to win, and then methodically came back to rip their hearts out,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote.
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However, the final play of the game was as controversial as it gets. Yandy Díaz checked his swing, but when the umpire was asked to appeal the call, he ruled that Díaz had swung, ending the game. After seeing the replay, World Series and Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Joe Davis called on MLB to implement a replay system for check swings, similar to the one used for balls and strikes.
“We got ABS for the first time this year, getting the balls and strikes right; we need to get a system that can get [check-swings] right,” Davis said.
There is no doubt that it is a heartbreaking way to lose in such a big moment. If it wasn’t a swing, the call would have kept the game alive with a walk. Díaz was frustrated, as he felt he hadn’t swung.
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Davis has a valid reason to call for change, as a replay system could have helped resolve the controversy surrounding the final play. Following this incident and Davis’ call for a solution, MLB could consider implementing a check-swing review system for next season.
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