Postseason Controversies

Controversial calls and plays during baseball’s playoffs:

* Game 1, 1948 World Series: Cleveland Indian pitcher Bob Feller and shortstop Lou Boudreau worked a pickoff play at second. Feller whirled and threw to Boudreau, who moved in behind Boston Braves’ pinch-runner Phil Masi. Umpire Bill Stewart ruled that Masi was safe despite Boudreau’s argument that he made the tag in time. Masi later scored the only run of the game.

* Game 4, 1957 World Series: Trailing, 5-4, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Milwaukee Brave pinch-hitter Nippy Jones led off and claimed he was hit on the foot by a pitch. Jones retrieved the ball and showed umpire Augie Donatelli it had a smudge of shoe polish. Jones was awarded first base and scored the tying run. Milwaukee beat the New York Yankees, 7-5.

* Game 4, 1969 World Series: J.C. Martin of the New York Mets sacrifices in the bottom of the 10th inning. Baltimore Oriole reliever Pete Richert fields the ball and throws to first base while Martin is clearly running on the wrong side of the baseline. The ball hits Martin’s wrist and rolls away, allowing pinch-runner Rod Gaspar to score. The umpires rule there was no interference. The run counts, giving New York a 2-1 victory.

* Game 5, 1969 World Series: Baltimore pitcher Dave McNally, leading, 3-0, in the sixth inning, hits Met outfielder Cleon Jones on the foot. Met Manager Gil Hodges proved, with a shoe-polish smudged ball, that Jones was indeed struck. Donn Clendenon followed with a two-run homer and the Mets went on to win, 5-3.

* Game 1, 1970 World Series: With the score tied, 3-3, in the sixth, Cincinnati Red pinch-hitter Ty Cline chopped a ball in front of home plate. Oriole catcher Elrod Hendricks attempted to tag out Bernie Carbo, who was trying to score. Hendricks collided with home-plate umpire Ken Burkhart while lunging for Carbo. Burkhart signaled Carbo out, but Hendricks tagged him with an empty glove while holding the ball in his right hand. Baltimore won, 4-3.

* Game 3, 1975 World Series: In the top of the 10th, Cincinnati Red pinch-hitter Ed Armbrister tried to sacrifice and bounced the ball in front of the plate. Catcher Carlton Fisk, while trying to field the ball, collided with Armbrister, who seemed to hesitate before starting toward first base, and threw the ball into center field while trying to force Cesar Geronimo at second. Geronimo went to third and Armbrister moved to second. Home plate umpire Larry Barnett ruled there was no interference. After a walk to Pete Rose, Joe Morgan singled to center for a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox.

* Game 4, 1978 World Series: With the Dodgers leading, 3-0, in the sixth inning, the Yankees had runners on first and second. Lou Piniella hit a line drive to the left of shortstop Bill Russell. Russell stepped on second and threw to first. The throw was deflected by the hip of Reggie Jackson, who had already been forced out, and bounced into right field. The Dodgers contended that Jackson intentionally interfered with the throw. The umpires disagreed, the Yankees scored twice in the inning and went on to win, 4-3.

* Game 6, 1985 World Series: In the ninth inning, with St. Louis leading, 1-0, Kansas City’s Jorge Orta grounded a ball to first baseman Jack Clark. Clark made the toss to pitcher Todd Worrell, who tagged first base. Umpire Don Denkinger ruled that Orta beat the play, despite replays that showed otherwise. Kansas City scored twice in the inning and won, 2-1.

* Game 2, 1996 AL divisional playoffs: Baltimore and Cleveland are tied, 4-4, in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs. B.J. Surhoff hit a bouncer back to pitcher Paul Assenmacher who threw home for a forceout. With Surhoff running slightly to the left side of the baseline, catcher Sandy Alomar’s throw for a potential double play bounced into right field, allowing the go-ahead run to score. No interference was called. The Orioles went on to win, 7-4.

* Game 1, 1996 AL championship series: With the Orioles leading, 4-3, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Derek Jeter of the Yankees hits a high fly ball toward the right-field wall which Baltimore outfielder Tony Tarasco was preparing to catch. A young fan reached over the fence and caught the ball before it descended to Tarasco. Right field umpire Rich Garcia ruled that there was no interference and declared it to be the game-tying home run. The Yankees won the game, 5-4, in 11 innings.