WASHINGTON – If the Mets can take a positive Saturday from their absence from an evening vacation that could have played a key role in the outcome of the game, that’s the idea of MLB removing the shackle in instant replay.
For manager Carlos Mendoza, it was clear that Jesse Turniker’s shot from the dugout hit the ground in four innings.
However, 1st base umpire Alfonso Marquez decided that the ball had been caught by Nathaniel Lowe and began a triple play where he literally took the Mets out of the innings.
Before the Mets made a 2-0 win over the Nationals on Saturday, Ments said the Mets lost 5-4 a night ago, but he said he had never spoken to MLB about the phone.
But his expectations were that at some point he would have a conversation with Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president of on-field operations.
The play was not reviewable by replay, as the ball never left the infield.
“In plays that have a big impact on the game – you’re talking about triple play. It’s the first and second where there’s no one – there needs to be some consideration without removing the human element,” Mendoza said. “Hopefully, this situation will help us move forward for better decisions.”
In Mendoza’s complaints to the judge, he claimed that the call was the positioning behind Marquez’s play, which did not provide the best view of whether the ball hits the ground or not. Mendoza wanted the judge to convene on the field to discuss the phone, but that never happened.
Brandonnimo, the lead runner for the 2 base of play, said he saw “little skip” on a shot to the 1 base of the turn signal and that it started to run to him.
Mark Vientos was running from the base behind him. Both were ruled out by a low throw to CJ Abrams on 2 base.
“I hope it gets reviewed,” Nemo said. “I hope all the catches can be reviewed. I understand that it’s in the infield, but that play happens before the referee on the first base. He really doesn’t have a great read. It really repeats it by the home plate and where the third referee is.
“They really took replays and kept the time to a minimum, so I don’t think they’ll add that much time to the game when they say, ‘Hey, let’s check it out really quickly’. ”
Vientus partially condemned his role, but admitted that it was clear: the turn signal ball hit the ground.
“I ruined it with that play. You should freeze and go back to the base,” Vientos said. “You watched the video and it hit the dirt, but it was my bad foundation.”
Vientos said he didn’t reach the decision to run third based on Nimmo Breaking.
“I just went because I saw the ball come to me really early,” Vientos said. “My first reaction was to get to two base.”
Mendoza can only hope that Friday’s missed calls will lead to changes in instant replay rules.
“After the experience [Friday] I think it’s necessary to go through it at night and know how it affects the game,” Mendoza said.
