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It still doesn’t make any sense that home plate umpire Jim Wolf correctly called Curtis Granderson out after he clearly struck out swinging and then changed the call after meeting with the rest of the umpiring crew in Game 4 of the NLCS. At the end, it didn’t hurt the Chicago Cubs, who stayed alive with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the obvious blown call has to come with some consequences.
Following the game, Wolf addressed the incorrect ruling of a foul tip that gave Granderson another chance against Wade Davis with one out and one runner on in the eighth inning in a one-run game. Wolf admitted what everyone with an ounce of sight witnessed Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.
He blew the call.
Umpire Jim Wolf tells pool reporter @JimLitke he looked at replay of Granderson's swing in eighth and he blew the call. #NLCS #Dodgers #Cubs
— Jay Cohen (@jcohenap) October 19, 2017
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Thanks, Jim.
What should piss everyone off even more isn’t that he changed his call, it’s why he changed it. Remember, Wolf actually got it right, ruling Granderson out. After all, he’s the damn home plate umpire and should be far more capable of noticing if there was a foul tip or not. However, Eric fucking Cooper, who was the third base umpire, somehow determined that Granderson did foul off the pitch and Wolf changed the call.
Absolute garbage.
Curtis Granderson didn’t make contact here…right? pic.twitter.com/KKJKn46kUH
— Pitcher List (@ThePitcherList) October 19, 2017
And that’s what really pissed off Joe Maddon. A guy standing more than 100 feet away took it upon himself to change a call on what basis? A fucking guess?
Joe is not happy. Terrible call. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/cAGhuJagOD
— ✶ Sports Mockery ✶ (@sportsmockery) October 19, 2017
Also, enough of limiting instant replay. Right now you can’t challenge foul tips. What is the point of having instant replays when outs are being taken away, a stadium full of 41,000 people can see the play on a video board, but the umpires can’t see the replay?
Flat out unacceptable. So, either expand instant replay, or demote Jim Wolf and Eric Cooper for the bullshit they pulled last night.
