Ridiculous Umpiring

Is it me, or is the umpiring really becoming a problem? Tonight was the second night in a row we've seen horrible calls made by the umpires in these playoffs.

Not to take anything away from the Yankees win tonight, or the Angels last night, and it didn't appear as if either of last night's calls in the Red Sox-Angels game would have made a difference either, but the umpires really need to get their heads, and eyes, checked.

Last night, the Angels got two gift infield hits when Howie Kendrick was ruled safe, twice, on separate plays at first base when replays clearly showed he was out on both plays. CB Bucknor, who's well known around the league as one of the worst umpires, ruled both times that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis didn't have his foot on the bag when Kendrick crossed it running down the first base line. Replays showed otherwise. And Red Sox manager Terry Francona let it be known during the game, and after, that he was not happy with either call.

And tonight was just... inexcusable. With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the 11th inning with no outs, Joe Mauer hit an opposite-field fly ball that was slicing away from Melky Cabrera in the left infield corner. Cabrera got his glove on it, but left field umpire Phil Cuzzi called it foul. There was no argument from Mauer, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire or anyone else on the Twins. Replays showed Cuzzi in position, intently watching the foul line and in clear view of the play. The ball landed about a foot inside the line in fair territory even after Cabrera got his glove on it. Mauer would eventually single up the middle, and wind up at third on the next two hits. With the bases loaded and no outs, the Twins eventually failed to score, and the Yankees won in the bottom of the inning on a Mark Teixeira walk-off home run.

Sure, the Twins had an opportunity to get a bunch of runs, but they should have had at least one, anyway, because Mauer would have eventually scored from second after the next two hits. Teixeira's home run would have tied it.

What really bothers me most is that the umpires played a big role in both games; their bad judgments impacted the games. I realize human error is part of the game, and no umpire wants to be known as the one who got a call wrong that affected the outcome of a game. But these games are too important. It's imperative that these calls are right.

The past two nights are not the first or second time it's happened either. There's a long list of incidents where the umpires have dramatically affected post-season games.

Their are two incidents that come to mind. The most recent is the 1996 ALDS game between the Orioles and Yankees when Derek Jeter's flyball was ruled a home run at Yankee Stadium when a fan clearly reached over the wall and caught the ball and robbed the Orioles of an out. The other incident is the 1985 World Series game between the Cards and Royals when Bruce Sutter's foot was clearly on first base but the umpire ruled his foot was off the bag and the Royals runner was awarded the base.

In both instances, as well, as last night's and the two the night before, instant replay would have been very crucial. The Jeter home run would have been overruled under today's instant replay rules without a doubt. But I don't know if baseball will ever consider expanding instant replay in the post-season to include disputing a fair or foul call down the line or a judgment call at first base. I, for one, am not a big fan of expanding instant replay any more than where it already is, but after last night and the night before, maybe MLB should take another look at instant replay and consider expanding it for post-season because calls like last night and the two the night before are inexcusable, and unacceptable.