A blown strike three call (see excellent recap here) helped the Red Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Tigers. Both the home plate and first base umpire missed the clear fact that the catcher, Gerald Laird caught the ball. There is also little evidence that the ball was even foul tipped, rendering the whole issue of whether it was caught moot.
Thought I am in favor of more instant replay in baseball (I think giving managers a single red flag, similar to football, would be a great idea) this quick judgement call is probably not a good argument for replay. Instead, give Mike Aviles credit for arguing first that he tipped the ball, and that Laird failed to catch it. Especially when Aviles probably knew that he was, er, stretching the truth.
The solution is up to the players to "police" Aviles for stretching the limits. Verlander is pitching for Detroit tonight, and he throws 100 MPH. Aviles should not dig in at the plate.
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