In case you missed it, TBS baseball announcer Chip Caray made, er, a slight mistake in calling a potentially game-deciding play during the 10th inning of last night’s one-game playoff between the Twins and Tigers for the AL Central title:
Caray was presumably confused because, normally, a ball on that sort of trajectory to shallow left field would indeed drop in for a base hit. But of course, as Caray should have known, the Tigers’ outfielders were playing very shallow, precisely so that they could catch a ball like that and throw out the runner who tags up and tries to score the winning run. (In that sort of situation, it makes no sense for them to play deep, because a ball hit to the deep outfield will bring home the runner from third regardless, on a sacrifice fly. Only a shallow fly ball to the outfield has any chance of not ending the game.)
Anyway, if Nick Punto’s line drive had truly been a “base hit,” then obviously, Alexi Casilla would have scored from third base without a problem, and the Twins would’ve won the AL Central right then and there. As it was, the attempted sac fly still almost brought the runner home — in fact, I’m still not sure he wasn’t actually safe — but the called out at home plate extended the game.
Luckily for Caray, the Twins eventually won, two innings later in the 12th, thus making his initial call — much like the various “Bush wins” headlines in November 8, 2000 newspapers — merely premature, rather than ultimately announcing the wrong outcome. Still, I daresay “line drive, base hit, caught out there” will live on, in at least minor infamy, among baseball fans for some time. Why, it’s the first “base hit” ever to result in a double play in baseball history! Heh.
P.S. And now, have called Caray an “idiot,” I must acknowledge that I too am an idiot, as I initially misspelled his name (in the title and throughout the post) as “Chip Carey.” D’oh.
P.P.S. At least I don’t misspell people’s names all the time (despite what former USC journalism director Loren Ghiglioni Ghiglione might tell you). Caray, by contrast, pretty much sucks all the time as an announcer. More here.
I’ve watched the replay from all angles several times and the ump got the call right. Laird nips his helmet before he gets his hand in. Usually the ump will make that call regardless if the ball beats the runner.
As a lifelong Tiger fan, I still haven’t recovered. This is the most crushing defeat I’ve experienced as a sports fan. It was also the most incredible game I’ve ever watched.
To put things in perspective, the Detroit Lions have won a Divisional title more recently than the Detroit Tigers. Good riddance Baggy Dome!