Another day, another questionable call in the Mets-Cubs series.
A little over 12 hours after a game-ending call controversy involving a slide at home plate, umpires in Thursday’s matinee game at Citi Field seemingly missed another call after a slide, this time at second base.
In the sixth inning, Pete Crow-Armstrong laced a double into right field but overshot the base, using his helmet to hold onto the bag as he was tagged by Mets shortstop Joey Wendle.
Crow-Armstrong — the former Mets prospect — was called safe by second base umpire Carlos Torres, though SNY’s TV crew immediately questioned if a player could still be considered on the base if they were using their helmet or piece of equipment as their point of contact.
Well, SNY’s Steve Gelbs was on the case and said the call was incorrect.
“I checked in with Major League Baseball and they said that even though that specific issue is not written down anywhere, he should have been out, and if the play was reviewed, he would have been out,” Gelbs said during the top of the seventh inning of the Mets’ extra-inning win. “You cannot use equipment like that to gain advantage, otherwise runners can use their helmets to extend their reach going into bags.”
In this case, the call did not come back to bite the Mets, as Crow-Armstrong was stranded at second.
In Wednesday night’s game, though, the debate over whether Pete Alonso was safe at the plate — or obstructed by catcher Miguel Amaya — had many questioning MLB’s rules after some believed the Mets were robbed of a run.
“They send out a memo in spring training what’s legal and what’s illegal and it’s clearly on that email — that memo — that we got that catchers are not allowed to have their foot in front of the plate,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the loss. “On top of the plate, they cannot straddle without possession of the baseball. He was very clear that the guy had his left on top of the plate without the baseball. I think they got the wrong call.”
However, on Thursday, The Post’s Dan Martin reported that Alonso was likely called out to end Wednesday’s game because MLB changed its blocking rule this year after a controversial call last season with the Rangers’ Jonah Heim.
Either way, the Mets and Cubs split their four-game series that was not short on excitement.