Melissa Berman

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, in the 10th inning, with bases loaded, Alex Kirilloff was up to bat when home umpire Phil Cuzzi called two balls well outside the strike zone as strikes. Kirilloff ended up striking out. The calls were so egregious that even the Dodgers announcers, the beneficiaries of the bad calls, spoke out. Adding to the frustration was a questionable David Peralta RBI double down the first-base line that the Twins were not allowed to challenge. Further analysis shows that it was almost certainly a foul ball. After the game, the Twitter account Umpire Scorecards published its grade for Cuzzi, whose umpiring resulted in a jaw-dropping 1.39 run advantage for the Dodgers. Typical figures for this stat are in the decimals; hardly ever full runs. After the game, a chorus of frustrated Twins fans expressed dismay at the decidedly unfair outcome of the game. Regarding the Peralta double, manager Rocco Baldelli said, "We had other opportunities to separate and find ways to win the game on top of the things that we were able to do, but late in the game, when you’re just given a double on a ball that’s foul, I mean, that bothers you, yes." I thought Twins fan Shayla put the helpless frustration of the whole situation perfectly: Other fans had one message in mind: bring on the robot umps now. And pretty soon, this will likely be a reality, and hopefully fans like Shayla won't have to feel that poignant frustration. Twins Daily has extensively covered robot umps, most recently in a piece this past January highlighting that MLB will use two forms of the automatic strike zone (ABS), the challenge system and the fully automatic system, at all AAA ballparks in 2023. Star Tribune columnist LaVelle E. Neal III did a piece last week on using the automatic strike zone at St. Paul Saints games. Several days earlier, Twins Daily had an article on the ABS system and how it would be used. Triple-A plays six-game series, and MLB is testing out both types of ABS during each series. “For the first three games of a six-game series, the ABS calls balls and strikes. For the next three games, the umpire calls the game, with each team given three challenges. Managers aren’t allowed to challenge pitches, but the catcher, pitcher, or hitter can ask for one. The ABS is then used as the final arbiter,” Neal wrote. He noted that the first challenge in CHS field history occurred on May 5 (here is the Twins Daily Minor League Report which includes this example), where Nashville’s Andruw Monasterio challenged a low pitch by Simeon Woods Richardson by tapping his helmet, and the pitch was ruled a strike by the ABS, much to the crowd and team’s raucous delight. Despite MLB making no decisions on the use of ABS in the majors, it’s difficult to imagine that it won’t happen sometime soon: Triple-A is the last frontier for testing rule changes, and it seems in recent years that everything that makes it to Triple-A ends up in the majors too: this year it was the larger bases, pitch clock, and the shift ban. Furthermore, according to Neal’s piece, the pitch clock is popular among Saints players and coaches. “You get less complaining in the dugout because there is less to argue about. You watch the games on TV, and you want the umpires to be right. When a pitch is borderline, it’s a really hard job as an umpire back there to get everything right,” Gardenhire said. Whether or not MLB implements the challenge system or the full ABS would also need to be decided before hitting the majors. My take: the challenge system is the perfect happy medium. I am ok with there being some variation in umpire strike zones. Still, Monday’s game perfectly illustrates the pressing need to have a way of eliminating the most egregious, game-changing calls. A challenge system would have reversed both of Kirilloff’s calls, which the Twins absolutely would have challenged, assuming they still have challenges to use. Hopefully, the Twins would have scored in that one-out, bases-loaded situation with a sacrifice fly to the outfield. Now that the unjustified strikeout made it two outs, it was a completely different, game-defining situation. The ABS would not have saved the day regarding the Peralta double/foul ball. Hopefully this game sparks some discussion of increasing the number of situations in which a team can challenge a play. The Dodgers broadcast explained that teams can't challenge balls in front of the base umpire, and Peralta’s ball first hit the ground in front of home plate. To those who stayed up late on Monday night, it’s hard to argue that something doesn’t need to be done to eliminate bad calls: the stakes are simply too high, especially in game-changing situations, the postseason, and the rise of sports gambling. But disappointed Twins fans can take heart: hopefully, these egregious missed calls will likely soon be a thing of the past. _ _ Did you stay up late on Monday night to watch this extra-inning battle? How did you feel coming away from the game? Do you think ABS would solve a lot of frustration? If so, which of the two kinds of ABS do you prefer? Have you noticed it in use at a Saints game? Leave a COMMENT below.

I was sitting along the third baseline at the game, and the boos caught me off guard. Correa has had an abysmal start to the season; he’s batting .185, and to sum things up, his Baseball Savant page stats are primarily in the blue (poor) range. I thought the boos were coming from the scores of rowdy Padres fans crowding the lower deck, but I quickly realized that they were coming from Twins fans. Later that evening, I saw what stood out to me as one of the saddest sports quotes I have seen in a while. “I’d boo myself, too, with the amount of money I’m making, and I’m playing like that,” Correa said after the game. Despite his early season struggles, Correa does not deserve to get booed at home. Is it necessary to be hostile to our players, especially when they are holding themselves accountable? Look, I’m a lifelong Minnesota sports fan. I’ve been at Timberwolves games where the Wolves have been down by 20 or 30 at halftime, and I booed. I was at that putrid 2018 Vikings home loss vs. the at-the-time bottom feeder Bills with the Pioneer Press headline “Boos bombard Vikings in 27-6 loss to Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium,” and I joined in. I’m not trying to take a “Holier than Thou” position. And I know someone making $33 million a season doesn’t need my defense; after all, he’s the one who made that Dior store comment. Correa needs to be better, but he knows that. One doesn’t get to where he is in his career without being the fiercest competitor imaginable. Players are frustrated enough when they are struggling; when others are on their case, it makes it even worse. Plus, Correa is far from the only Twins player batting poorly right now. Slumps are a part of baseball. They come and go, and everyone goes through them. Fans boo a slumping Correa. What is he supposed to do about it? Try harder? It’s the truth that even when players are paid tons of money, it doesn’t mean they are not allowed to go through slumps. Plus, I wonder how much Correa’s back is still affecting him; he already missed time for it this season, and he was wearing what possibly looked like a heating pad in the dugout Tuesday night. I see a difference between booing the overall team based on a perceived lack of effort and booing a specific individual player who, by all accounts, is doing his best but is struggling. Twins fans might argue that because Correa is a team leader, criticism comes with the territory, and I do not deny that, and when you’re being paid that much, you probably should be subject to some extra scrutiny. Correa also gets his fair share of boos everywhere he goes because he was on the 2018 Astros. I don’t think we need to shed any tears for him. But what amount of money does a player need to be paid for him to be “justifiably” treated poorly? And when a fanbase turns against a player, it can get ugly. Those looking for an example need look no further than Joey Gallo’s time on the Yankees. Gallo said that he stopped going out in public in New York because of the ugly treatment he received from Yankees fans. “A bunch of [players on other teams reached out to offer support],” Gallo told Randy Miller. “It makes me feel like a piece of s--t, honestly. I remember playing here with the Rangers, watching guys get booed off the field and thinking, ‘Holy s--t! I feel bad for that guy.’ Now it’s me. I do appreciate people reaching out, but it makes me feel like I’m a problem,” Gallo said. After being traded to the Yankees in July 2021, Gallo hit .160 in 188 at-bats across 58 games. In 2022, he batted .159 in 233 at-bats over 82 games before being traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. Based on Gallo’s comments, suggesting that the hostility of the environment contributed to his extended slump is not outrageous. I’m not suggesting this is going to happen in Minnesota. If Correa went to the grocery store, even when he’s slumping, fans would crowd him in adoration and ask for a picture. But when I read Correa’s postgame quote, I couldn’t help but think: “What are we, Yankees fans?” Will booing make you feel better? Will booing motivate Correa more? Based on his full comments, Correa is already blaming no one but himself. He doesn't blame you for booing, but it doesn't mean you have to do it. It’s still early in the season. Correa’s bat will heat up; it always does. He’s a proven star. And according to a piece by Dan Hayes, Carlos Correa’s recent metrics suggest his slump is close to over. Correa will be with the Twins for years; the least fans can do is show him a little grace while he’s working through whatever he is battling.