Butler’s comeback to KC put aside by reckless sliding and battle of hit-by-pitches

The games got out of the umpires' hands this past weekend in Kansas City

The Kansas City Royals and the Oakland A’s faced each other for the first time since the squared off for the American League wild card game in October of 2014.

The playoff atmosphere was palpable in Kauffman Stadium, where Royals’ fans were excited to welcome who once was the only all star on their roster, the highlight of a losing-record team, and the main reason fans went to the stadium: designated hitter Billy Butler.

Butler came back to what was his house for more than seven years wearing green and yellow after he signed a three-year and $30-million contract with the A’s.

In his first at bat, Butler received a standing ovation, and everything seemed to be flowing perfectly.

However, Butler’s emotional comeback was put aside even before the first game of the series was over on Friday night.

Photo courtesy of Fox Sports

Another newcomer for Oakland, Brett Lawrie, sled into Alcides Escobar’s left knee in a very close play at second base to start what ended up being a battle of hit-by-pitches and ejected people during the weekend.

Escobar, who played all 162 games for the Royals last season, had to sit out for the rest of the series.

If you have played baseball or if you like watching it, you knew the Royals were not going to stay with their arms crossed.

Yordano Ventura got to start on Saturday and his upper-90’s fastball looked like the perfect tool to let Lowrie know they had Escobar’s back.

Before the game, Escobar said he did not receive any apologies from Lowrie, who showed how he had texted something to what apparently was Alcides’ phone number.

Lowrie’s first at bat came in the second inning of the game and Ventura did not attempt to “even” things out. That was his mistake. If he was going to do it, that looked like a good situation to do so.

The A’s bats exploded scoring five runs off Ventura, including a three-run homerun by Josh Reddick two innings later. Two pitches after, Ventura hit Lawrie and was ejected immediately.

That was just the beginning of this battle royale. On Sunday, in the very first inning, Scott Kazmir hit Lorenzo Cain and both benches were warned. Ned Yost was furious and was ejected.

Why did the umpires warn both teams after Kazmir’s hit by pitch and did not do so after Ventura hit Lawrie during the second game of the series? Were the teams warned before the last game? What are going to be the punishments for those involved in these exchanges?

Photo courtesy of CBSSports.com

Lawrie was hit (or almost hit) again in the top of the eight by two 100-mph pitches by Kelvin Herrera. The first one brushed him back and the second one sailed behind his back.

Herrera, of course, was tossed, and so were Don Wakamatsu and Alcides Escobar, who was barking from the bench. In total, six Royals were ejected while none of the Oakland A’s had to leave the field and or have to face any suspensions. Is that fair? I don’t think so.

Everything started because of Lawrie’s slide on Friday night. Lawrie got out of his path to tackle Escobar. If he had gone straight to the base he would have been safe and none of this would have happened.

Lawrie argued he was trying to break a double play, but if you watch the play you realize there was no chance of turning two outs in that scenario.

On Saturday, Lawrie showed everybody how he can slide right on the base, which demonstrates how he was lying in the first place.

I don’t think he was trying to hurt Alcides Escobar, but I do think he did not measure how much damage he could do by sliding that way.

Lawriw, however, wasn’t the only one who didn’t act right during the series. Ventura picked a wrong moment and Herrera did a wrong thing by throwing behind Lawrie. A 100-mph fastball to the head or ribs could have done serious damage and nobody wants to see that.

Photo by Ed Zurga / Getty Images

Finally, the umpires could have done something else, like issuing warnings before the second and third games of the series, knowing how these type of things are solved in professional baseball.

At the end of the game the Royals came back and beat the A’s 4 to 2 on Sunday’s afternoon to take the series, which is what really matters.

Now we have two teams that don’t like each other on and off the field. Last year, it was the same Oakland A’s versus the Baltimore Orioles. This year it seems like is the Royals’ turn. We have to wait until June to see them face each other again. We’ll see how that goes…

MLB Finally Expanding Instant Replay

The 2014 MLB season started in Australia last week with two victories for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The rest of the opening series started on March 30 and 31.

This year the 30 MLB clubs approveded the expansion of the use of instant replay during games, creating new rules that add a little bit more of strategy to the mix.

In their website, MLB explains that managers will have one challenge per game. Every time a manager challenges a play and any portion of the call is overturned, the manager preserves his option to challenge another play during that game.

Managers will only be able to challenge two plays for game.

Umpires can use the instant replay on any reviewable call once the managers have used their challenges or after the beginning of the seventh inning.

Plays like home runs or other boundary calls will be reviewable following the same procedures of last season.

MLB will have a communication location close to home plate at every ballpark. When a challenge or a reviewable play present themselves, the crew chief and at least one of the umpires will a headset with which they will contact the Replay Command Center in New York.

There, MLB umpires will be grouped as Replay Officials and will determine if the call is correct or if it should be overturned. The umpires must have clear and convincing evidence in order to do the last.

Instant replay started to be tried out during Spring Training games.  In the first occasion it was used, it took the umpires a little more than two minutes to go through the process and confirm the call they made was right.

This expansion is something MLB should have implemented a long time ago. MLB executives refused to use technology for years, falling behind sports like basketball and football that have been using it for years now.

As a result of this expansion, baseball will have more right calls, which is the final objective.

Four years ago, in March of 2010, Venezuelan pitcher Armando Galarraga lost a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce called a runner safe at first base with two outs in the ninth inning. The replay showed the call was wrong.

At first, the call blowed by first-base umpire hurt baseball, keeping a pitcher from getting recognition for one of the hardest achievements of the game.

Later, we realized this play might have been beneficial for the game, being the reason why people in the offices realized it was time to make a proper use of the available technology.

This is still under an adaptation process and it could change depending on the outcome of its implementation this season, which gives it a margin for improvements.

Managers should have more than two challenges, specially in playoff games, when a lot of close plays can define the course of a game and or a series.

Some people might say that these challenges will delay the game even more or that they are getting rid of the human element.

However, I believe this is definitively a plus for the game of baseball. There are other things that make it a long game and there are some calls that cannot be overturned by instant replays.

Challenges will add another element to the strategy during games. Managers will have to know when to use the instant replay, risking losing this privilege in one of the first innings of the game or making a decision and overturning an impactful play at a key moment of the season. A little bit more pressure on the managers’ shoulders.  

Like Commisioner Bud Selig said, the new system will give managers valuable opportunity in potentially game-changing situations.

Besides, it will give fans the chance to see more replays in all the ballparks, since clubs will now be allowed to show all replays on the ballpark scoreboard, regardless of whether the play was reviewed.