From Deseret News archives:
First use of instant replay backs onfield call
"There's probably 800 players in the big leagues. The odds of my being in some controversy are probably 2-to-1," the New York Yankees slugger said Wednesday night, after his ninth-inning homer against the Tampa Bay Rays was upheld in the first use of video to review boundary calls.
"It's just funny," added Rodriguez, a lightning rod for headlines on and off the field throughout his career. "Somehow I find myself in those situations all the time."
Rodriguez hit a long, two-run shot down the left field line that went over the foul pole and struck one of the catwalks that support the roof at Tropicana Field. He had no doubts that the ball was fair.
Third base umpire Brian Runge immediately ruled it a home run, sparking protests from Rays catcher Dioner Navarro and manager Joe Maddon.
"I had the best view because I was at home plate. I saw what Brian saw, and for sure I knew this was going to get replayed," Rodriguez said of his 549th career homer, which moved him ahead of Mike Schmidt for sole possession of 12th place on the all-time list. "I saw the way Navarro jumped and then Maddon jumped out of the dugout and I said, 'Here we go."'
The umpires, all feeling it was a homer, convened behind the pitcher's mound at the urging of Maddon, who said the foul poles in the domed stadium are not tall enough to tell if balls hit that high are fair or foul.
Crew chief Charlie Reliford led a procession to the review room near the visiting team dugout, where it took 2 minutes, 15 seconds to back the onfield call.
"I'm the first player. Next time I'm going stealth and go under the radar screen," Rodriguez said. "It's very fitting I'm involved. I was just glad we got the right call."
A-Rod was denied a homer May 21 against Baltimore when a ball he hit over the fence at Yankee Stadium was incorrectly called an RBI double. It was one of a string of home run calls blown by umpires, leaving some people calling for instant replay.
"They handled it in a very good way. I still don't know if it was fair or foul," Maddon said. "I don't know if it was conclusive or not. But nevertheless, they went through the process. It did not take that long."
Reliford said the replay confirmed what Runge saw.
"It was not inconclusive," the crew chief told a pool reporter. "It was conclusive that Brian's call was correct."
The umpires agreed to look at the video after Maddon asked plate umpire Greg Gibson to discuss the call with Runge.
