HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Rockies Manager Jim Tracy for arguing a balk call in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Rockies-Dodgers game. With two out and one on, Rockies pitcher Matt Reynolds was called for a balk with Dodgers James Loney batting. On the balk, Dodgers R1 Justin Sellers advanced to second base. Replays indicate Reynolds failed to properly step directly toward a base (first base) in violation of MLB rule 8.05(c), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Dodgers were leading, 3-1. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 6-1.
This is Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s seventh ejection of 2011.
Hunter Wendelstedt now has 23 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (19 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 23).
Hunter Wendelstedt is owned as a Primary Umpire by tt49, who is now in 2nd place in the UEFL with 30 points.
Hunter Wendelstedt is owned as a Secondary Umpire by kickersrule, who is now in 1st place in the UEFL with 33 points.
*Quality of Correctness was challenged and confirmed ("Correct" ==> "Correct")
This is the 171st ejection of 2011.
This is the 82nd Manager ejection of 2011.
This is Jim Tracy's third ejection of 2011.
All seven of Hunter Wendelstedt's ejections have come after the All-Star break.
This is the first game in which Wendelstedt has had a single ejection.
This is the 25th ejection by Jerry Lane's crew (Layne (4), Brian Knight (5), Bob Davidson (8), and Wendelstedt (7); Vic Carapazza (1 ejection while with Layne's crew)).
During the previous at bat to Loney's, a balk call was made with the bases loaded on Rockies pitcher Esmil Rogers that scored Dodgers R3 Aaron Miles with Justin Sellers at bat.
Wrap: Rockies at Dodgers 8/26/11
Video: Tracy ejected after two balk calls in two at bats.
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34 comments :
Somebody will have to explain it better than me but........
This is the deal where when Hunter taps his leg, that's the explanation (Tracy knows this of course) on the balk, and if Tracy comes out it's automatic DQ.
Hunter is funny repeating over and over and over again for showing the step balk (leg tap) followed by the stop sign, and finally ejecting Tracy when he gets to that dirt circle.
"Unless it's absolutely definitive." This looked like he stepped directly at the plate and that's why the runner was out by 10 feet. Good Call!!!
Two excellent balk calls. Nothing more needs to be said.
Managers/coaches/players aree not allowed to argue judgement calls (ball/strike, safe/out, BALKS, obstructions) It is an automatic ejection for arguing judgement calls...Hunter gave Tracy multiple warnings not to come out and argue...good call by davidson and hunter
Hunter has a few good calls that game. Funny since the game started late because the umpires were stuck in traffic.
Davidson's Balk: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18493823
Too obvious, way too obvious. Those Rockies announcers need to be put away.
@730, thanks. I much prefer Scully's commentary on the Davidson balk. Too bad MLB wasn't smart enough to offer the Dodgers feed for the other balk.
you can not leave the dugout to argue a no-step balk. you hit your leg to indicate a no-step balk.
Lot of ejections for Davidson and Wendelstedt recently. Over some good calls, too. Looks like one of only a handful number of crews that actually enforces the balk rule.
So at this point, who has more ejections: Joe West and crew or Jerry Layne crew? One or the other has to have the most ejections in MLB.
CHALLANGE CHALLANGE CHALLANGE CHALLANGE THAT IS AS MUCH A BLAK AS THE BALK DAVIDSON CALLED BOTH CALLS WERE UTROSIOULSY BAD REYNOLDS CLEARLY STEPS TOWARDS FIRST BASE HE NEVER STERPS TOWARDS HOME PLATE HIS KNEE MIGHT GO TOWARDS THE PLATE BUT FOOT CLEARLY AND UNDOUTBLY STEPS TOWARDS FIRST THIS IS NOT A BALK AND NIETHER IS THE ONE DAVIDSON CALLED THESE TWO CALLS COSED THE ROCKIES THE GAME
@mike220.. the pitcher has to gain Direction ( which he had) and DISTANCE ( which he did not) he cant not place his foot back down in the same spot in started in.. Great call by Hunter.... Man am I glad I went to Wendelstedt's...
Can I challenge mike's grammar and spelling
From what I can see from the videos, both calls look correct.
By the way, I don't see where the play was challenged. It may have been "challanged", but that is not the same thing, since challange is not a word.
@mike220
I don't understand you. What do these words mean?
Challange
Challange
Challange
Challange
Blak
Utrosioulsy
Sterps
Undoutbly
Cosed
Also, you may want to get your keyboard repaired, as your Caps Lock key appears to be broken, as do all your punctuation keys.
Mike....are you challenging because the Rockies lost or because you're ignorant of the rules. Both were clearly balk. The first balk the Rockies pitcher simulated the start of a pitch by turning his shoulders and second balk the pitcher tried to step to first after the runner took off. He never did though. Clearly a no step balk.
Sorry Mike that is a balk all day long and twice on Sunday. Only watched it once and in full speed. Didn't need any more looks. That one was obvious to my 8 year old son.
How are you going to allow a person who cannot even spell challenge a ruling?? bahaha
Anytime this type of balk gets called by HP, there is going to be an argument. I can't imagine a tougher call for HP to make than a balk for failure to step directly toward a base.
Not knocking Wendelstedt here. Despite the announcer's claims that it's 1st base's call, HP has every right to call it as well. That being said, everyone in the park knows how hard that call is for HP to even detect.
Personal preference here, but I prefer to have 1st make that call or I keep my mouth shut at home. 1st has the near-perfect angle. If I make that call at HP, it looks like either (1) I am wrong, because if it had been a balk 1st would have called it as well, or (2) 1st must have been asleep at the switch if he missed a balk so obvious that I saw it at my terrible angle. In the case of #2, it almost feels like I'm showing up my base umpire if I make that call.
At any rate, Wendelstedt saw it, he called it, and the announcers sounded clueless.
Btw, the Davidson balk was obvious. Don't see how anyone could argue that one.
Bugs:
How ON EARTH does the 1B umpire have a better look at a no step balk???? The 1B umpire has NO LOOK at that. The HP umpire has THE BEST look. How is the 1B umpire supposed to tell if he gains any direction with his angle??
@12:05am
Your wrong. Bugsy gave a great explanation. He said it was a tuff call to start with, and didn't have a problem with Hunter. Then bugs said the T.V. guys are idiots. And the last thing was what Bugsy would do personally. Let me say this, I've umpired with Bugsy, and I know he says he wouldn't make the call from HP, because of various reasons he gave. Let me say this, knowing Bugsy, if he saw it from the plate, he would call it in any game, in any land, for any amount, that he can count! Don't be mistaken here, Bugsy is not saying he would ignore it. Also he's saying, if your working the plate with Bugsy, don't worry Big guy, I got that call tonite~!
Your comment that the 1B umpire has "no look" is hyperbola at best, and ridiculous are worst. What was the 1B umpire screened somehow? And the HP umpire did not have "the best" look either.
It's very hard to learn when your typing.
It's not a tough call. It's an easy call. You just have to have guts to call it. Anytime a LH pitcher starts and than looks over to see the runner getting a good jump there is the potential for him to try to change his mind and throw over. Once his balance is gone and he is headed home the only choice he has is to put his foot down to catch himself (no direction and distance) and throw over. It looks awkward. It's an easy call. Umpires, coaches, players try to make balks into rocket science. They're not. The rulebook clearly states the criteria. Balks have become controversial because "path of least resistance" umpires don't have the guts to call them. They just hope no one sees it. If you call a balk and you have the opportunity to discuss it with a coach (this varies depending on what level you work...you CANNOT discuss a balk at the MLB level, you can however in the minors ask about a balk) and you use short, concise rulebook terminology it is easy to explain. Anything beyond that is pleading and arguing and is grounds for an EJ.
If this balk was so obvious, why was the crew chief and second base umpire Jerry Layne, who had the same look as Hunter, calling the runner out at second?? Remember, distance means not coming down in your footprint. This could be an inch or a foot in distance. Most no-step balks on leftys have to do with not stepping directly to first base (direction) not the no distance we are currently debating. I'm going with Layne and Knight on this one.
I guess that means Layne and Knight don't have the guts to make that balk call. Thank goodness Hunter was on the field...
It is a simple as this! 1st base umpire has the call on direction (whether or not pitcher is more toward plate than first), and the plate umpire has the call on whether or not he gained the required distance! Simple, case closed.
Good lord some people are ignorant. The PU has the best look of anyone on this type of balk. He is the only one who can see both distance and direction. U2 sure as heck can't see either nearly as well as the PU or U1.
Anonymous @ 7:18: Why does it matter who the crew chief is and whether or not he calls it? Balks can be called by anyone and the CC doesn't have to approve them before they're called. Layne called the runner out at second because he had not yet seen or heard the PU call the balk.
Path of least resistance umpire....thank you for making my point
I think 1st has a better look at direction and Home has a better look at distance.
The second was clearly a balk, and tracy can't come out to argue one so straight forward, but the first one,he turned his head, so what. Many guys do a windup like that, and if the runner was deceived by a windup, thats his own fault. He should know that once the the pitcher starts the windup he must go home.
It wasn't his head turning it was his shoulders turning. His shoulders turning from the windup simulate the start of the pitching motion.....easy call...watch the video
Layne and Knight did not have a good enough view in their opinion to make that call. Doesn't mean it wasn't a balk.
All this crap about 1st could see this but HP could see that is nonsense. What's Hunter supposed to do? Ask Brian Knight for a conference and tell him, "look...i had direction...did you have distance? Oh you didn't? Than we'll call it a balk." Doesn't work that way fellas.
I would hate to work a game with some of the plumbers that post some of this stuff.
"If this balk was so obvious, why was the crew chief and second base umpire Jerry Layne, who had the same look as Hunter, calling the runner out at second??"
Explain to me how two guys working two different positions can have the same look. If you had three guys standing at home plate that would be the same look. 1st base sees things differently than the plate guy, 3rd base guy or 2nd base guy because of where they view the play.
Well the Plate Umpire and second base umpire dont have the same look. The plate umpire is positioned right in front of the pitcher. The second base umpire is located off to the side and at an angle from the pitcher. Therefore it is harder to tell whether or not the pitcher gets the required distance.
This ruling has been challenged.
After review, the Quality of Correctness has been confirmed. The call is now correct.
After review, including examination of the real-time play, replays, and alternate angles, the decision of confirming the original Quality of Correctness was made. Replays indicate the no-step balk was correctly called under Rule 8.05(c). Under Rule 9.04(b)(2), all umpires share concurrent jurisdiction in calling balks. Therefore, the Home Plate Umpire remains the Calling Umpire; Ejector Classification of "Calling" is upheld.
Denied.
So this was the game that the umpires got stuck in typical Los Angeles freeway traffic last season. Figures it was the crew that included Jerry Layne, Bob Davidson and Hunter Wendelstedt.
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