In hopes of avoiding another situation with the replay-challenge rule like one they experienced Monday, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez stayed at the ballpark late Monday discussing the team’s process and approach going forward.
Freddie Freeman and Gonzalez both said after Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Red Sox that the Braves should’ve challenged an out call in the seventh inning, when Freeman was running from first base and was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice.
Replays showed a close play and indicated that Freeman might’ve been safe, in which case the Braves would’ve had bases loaded and one out. Instead, they didn’t challenge the call, so there were two outs and runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Erick Aybar struck out to end the inning, with the Braves trailing 1-0.
Gonzalez said the view from the dugout is usually bad on close plays at the bases, and was Monday. That’s why he, like other managers, relies on someone in the clubhouse watching the game on TV, with the capability of immediately reviewing a replay, to tell him whether to use the one challenge call that managers are allotted for each game. (Each time a challenge is successful, a manager can use another challenge, but if not, the team has lost its right to challenge a call the rest of the game).
Gonzalez had called the Braves video coordinator, Rob Smith, who quickly watched a replay in the clubhouse to let the manager know if he should challenge the call. “We talked it through with our people and they said, no, don’t challenge,” Gonzalez said afterward. “Freeman came off the base saying he was out; even he couldn’t tell. For players (involved in a play) it’s hard to tell. In retrospect, coming in here and watching the video, we should have challenged.”
A day later, Gonzalez said he and Smith discussed the situation late Monday and how they’ll handle it in the future.
“We stayed here last night and talked internally,” he said. “It’s one of those things, everybody makes mistakes. We’ll fix it. We’ll keeping continually going through it and fixing it. I think we’ve got a good handle on it. I think we’ve got a great person on it, a guy who’s been in the organization a lot of years. He cares. And so, we’ll continue going forward on that.”
After Monday’s game, Freeman agreed they should have challenged the call. Initially he believed he was out when the umpire said he foot came off the base.
“Since I’ve seen the replay, I was safe,” Freeman said afterward. “But it’s just one of those things that, as you can see in the ninth inning, MLB has a tough time in New York, because I definitely got hit by that pitch.
Freeman referred to his at-bat with two out in the ninth, when he thought he was hit by a Craig Kimbrel pitch. Freeman made his way to first base before realizing that umpire Mark Ripperger ruled that the ball didn’t hit him.
The Braves challenged the call and it was upheld. Freeman returned to the batter’s box and struck out to end the game.
“Obviously they’re seeing some things differently in New York and won’t overturn calls as easily as they should,” Freeman said, referring to umpires at MLB’s New York video center who watch the replay and make a ruling. “So it’s tough to challenge anything these days with what’s going on with the replay system.”
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