It's hard to believe that one umpire's call could change the destiny of two teams, but that's exactly what happened in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Instead of potentially heading home to Anaheim up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Anaheim Angels took a spilt on the road against the Chicago White Sox. They were then completely outplayed in Games 3 and 4 before losing the series in last night's Game 5.
That's not to take anything away from the White Sox. Their heads-up play helped them tremendously, but it's impossible to tell what would have happened had this series been played without an umpire intervention.
With Game 2 tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, White Sox hitter A.J. Pierzynski - down to his final strike - swung on a low pitch that catcher Josh Paul appeared to catch on the fly. Paul flipped the ball to the mound and the inning seemed to be over as the Angels trotted off the field.
Pierzynski, seeing nothing to lose, took off towards first base as if Paul had dropped the third strike. Umpire Doug Eddings, who appeared to have already called Pierzynski out, decided to call him safe at first. One batter later, Joe Crede put a ball in the corner and the White Sox headed out west tied in the series.
This brings us to the question of whether instant replay should be allowed in baseball. Sure it might take a bit of time to review plays, but umpires often gather around and talk about controversial calls anyway. Instant replay would eliminate the time occupied by managers' arguing (which is actually a bit sad - it's fun to see former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon carry first base to the dugout with him after being ejected).
There are more silly arguments against instant replay. Fox analyst Kevin Kennedy claimed on television that human error is a key part of the game. Yes, but doesn't it make more sense to try to ensure the team that plays the best on a given night wins rather than applauding the fact that once in awhile an umpire will be staring at a hot blonde in the stands and miss a call?
The White Sox now have a commanding 3-1 series lead after last night's 8-2 win and Friday night's 5-2 victory, both in Anaheim. The injury to hurler Bartolo Colon was a backbreaker for the Angels, because the Halos were forced to start youngster Ervin Santana in his place. Santana has pretty good stuff and pitched well against the New York Yankees, but he's still a spring chicken and made many mistakes in Game 4 (4.1 IP, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 HR).
Chicago's Freddy Garcia came up with a huge start to defeat Santana, pitching a complete game and striking out five while giving up only two runs. Garcia is a solid pitcher, but pitching a two-run complete game was beyond the White Sox's expectations.
This series was billed as the battle of two of the best bullpens in baseball. That is true by regular season standards, but the games in this series are not decided by the bullpen. Anaheim has a fantastic closer in Francisco Rodriguez, as well as solid setup men in Escobar, Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields. But these guys only really played roles in Games 1 and 2.
Chicago has a number of talented arms in the pen. Flamethrower Bobby Jenks played a key role in sweeping the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, plus he looks like the guy pitching to Rob Hobbs at the end of "The Natural." Cliff Politte, Neal Cotts, Dustin Hermanson (how does this happen?) and Damaso Marte have all had great years and Orlando Hernandez has tremendous postseason experience.
One amazing thing about this series is that in the White Sox needed only two-thirds of an inning from their bullpen during the five games. This shows the strength of Chicago's starting pitching. Everyone knew Mark Buehrle was a very good pitcher, but what is important for the White Sox now that Jose Contreras, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia have proven they can pitch under the intense pressure of the postseason.
Chicago has a great pitching staff, but another reason for the team's great success is the meager Angel offensive lineup. Right-fielder Vladimir Guerrero is Anaheim's only power hitter, and he's not doing much of anything this October. Vlad loves to swing wildly, so when he's in a slump he doesn't help the team out by drawing walks and wearing down opposing pitchers.
Only shortstop Orlando Cabrera provided consistent offense, and when you're looking to him for offense, you know your team is in trouble. In fact, the first three batters in the Angels' lineup: Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera and Vladimir Guerrero hit a combined .123 (7-for-57) in the ALCS.
