Thoughts on NL Wildcard Round

By Eric Meyer

Well, that was a dramatic start to the postseason.

Major League Baseball's inaugural Wildcard Round was a rocky one on the Senior Circuit.  The Cardinals and Braves were set to go in what would prove to be Chipper Jones' final game as a Brave, as the Cardinals won, 6-3.  Unfortunately, this game will not be remembered as a final send-off to one of baseball's greatest switch hitters ever, but as a disaster due to a controversial call in the bottom of the 8th inning.  With runners on first and second and one out, Andrelton Simmons hit a pop fly to shallow left field.  Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma backpedaled into left field and appeared to be in position to make the routine play; however, Kozma eventually backed off, assuming that left fielder Matt Holliday would make the catch.  The ball dropped between them, allowing the runners to advance.  It had appeared that the Braves had loaded the bases, but the left field umpire ruled that the fly ball was an infield fly and called Simmons out on the play.  The crowd was furious with the call and began throwing bottles and other trash onto the field, turning baseball's first ever wildcard game into an embarrassment.  The Braves played the remainder of the game under protest, but their request was immediately denied by Joe Torre.

Most people believe that the umpire made a horrible call that ruined the Braves' rally late in the game, and therefore tarnished the Cardinals victory.  Some people believe that this game is a black mark on the new wildcard system in general.  I disagree with both points.  Let's start with the call.  The infield fly call appeared more egregious than it was, and when consulting with the rulebook, it seems that the umpire actually made the right call.  The rulebook states that when there are runners on first and second, or runners on first, second, and third, and a fly ball that is not a line drive or a bunt is hit, and an infielder can make the play with normal effort, then the infield fly rule goes into effect.  There is nothing in the rule regarding depth into the outfield.  As long as the infielder can make the play with normal effort, the infield fly rule is fair game.  Did it only require a normal effort from Kozma to make the play?  Absolutely.  Had it not, he wouldn't have been backpedaling to reach the ball, but sprinting after it to make the play.  The phrase "normal effort" is obviously subjective, but there is no doubt that Kozma could have and should have gotten to that ball.  Perhaps the rule needs tweaking, but as it stands, the umpire's call was legitimate.

Another factor in the controversy was the timing of the call.  The left field umpire didn't rule the play an infield fly until the ball had nearly hit the ground.  Admittedly, the infield fly rule is supposed to be called early so that the runners understand the situation and can decide whether or not to advance; however, the timing of the call didn't influence the base runners, as both advanced on the play.  The timing of the call had no negative influence on the Braves, so there really isn't much merit to this complaint.

Let's switch gears and say that I'm wrong and that the umpire made the wrong call.  Did this play cost the Braves the game?  Certainly not.  The Braves were down by three runs at that point.  After the infield fly, the Braves still had two runners in scoring position.  Neither scored in the inning.  I realize that the Braves lost some momentum with the play, but how can you believe that the Braves would have scored three runs in that situation when they couldn't score one run with two runners on base?  The Braves did not lose this game because of an out in the 8th inning.  They lost the game because they made 3 errors, went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, and left 12 men on base.  They played poorly and lost to a team that took advantage of their mistakes.

Major League Baseball cannot be happy about the way their first wildcard game went, but that doesn't mean that the new system is broken.  The new wildcard rule does two things: it gets more teams involved in the playoff hunt, and it puts emphasis on winning your division.  I consider both of these pros.  Atlanta's controversial loss isn't some type of anecdotal evidence that destroys the Wildcard system.  The Braves, like every other team, had 162 games to put themselves in the best position.  They made the playoffs, but didn't bring the goods when it mattered.  That's baseball, whether you are playing one game or seven.