Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay has now become “flabbergast” with the official scorekeeper decision to change the error to a hit and end Max Fried’s no hitter bid.
Kay was incredible as official scorer Bill Matthews announced to YES network viewers that the groundball, which Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson hit the bottom of six innings, had changed from what originally dominated Paul Goldschmidt’s mistakes to hits.
“No, you didn’t miss the batsman. I was absolutely amazed, a woman and a gentleman,” Kay came out of the commercial break. “The scorekeeper at Stein Brenner Field, a guy named Bill Matthews, turned Simpson E3 into a hit while the Yankees were in the dugout.
“You’re not going to wait for three innings to call it when it happens, you’re not going to wait for three innings. It’s just incredible… [Matthews] Many questions will be raised to him, and he needs to give some pretty good answers. I can’t believe this happened. ”
Freed gave up on a hit and started the bottom of eight innings, eventually rendering the change in score effectively.
The Yankees pitcher was to pitch seven innings, allowing only two hits, and the Bronx bombers managed to win 4-0 with the Rays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when he spoke to reporters after the chaotic game, “Reality was a hit.”
“I scratch my head every night at the official scorer.” Boone told reporters. “They throw errors at Yankee Stadium on the boards at Yankee Stadium, we go to these other places and they can burn hits with their best.
The Yanks skipper added that scorers have “work without gratitude,” but reiterated that there are sometimes “some issues” with how things are graded.
Sunday wasn’t the first time the Rays’ official goalkeeper had put the spotlight on the plays he scored.
In 2011, Matthews dominated plays rather than errors, but Felix Hernandez was throwing no-hits for the Mariners against Tampa. Seattle Times article.
Similar to Freed’s situation, the potential controversy was slightly reduced when the Rays scored another hit after that inning.
