There were two outs in the top of the 9th inning, the Colorado Rockies were winning 9-8 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a runner on first and second, Teoscar Hernandez was at the plate. The count was one ball as well as two strikes, and relief pitcher Victor Vodnik threw a high fastball, which resulted in a borderline half swing.
"He went," said Rockies announcer Drew Goodman, as Vodnik was seen walking off the mound. "Oh, man. Lance Barksdale said no."
Twitter/@Scotty_G6
The whole crowd and Colorado team thought it was a strikeout, which would have ended the game. However, the first base umpire said he didn't go all the way around, so the count then became 2-2.
As if it couldn't have been scripted any worse for the Rockies, after the Dodgers were gifted a second life, the very next pitch Hernandez hit a 423-foot home run to right center field. Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani both scored off the 3-RBI homer, so the score was now 11-9, as the Dodgers rallied to put up seven runs in the last inning, completing the comeback.
Bud Black and Jake Cave's thoughts on the call ⬇️
Cave is pissed. pic.twitter.com/dmKBTqjzxv
— Scotty Gange (@Scotty_G6) June 19, 2024
The Rockies play-by-play announcer, was heard frustrated on the broadcast.
"The 2-2, in the air, deep right-center and this one is gone. You got to be kidding me!" Goodman said. "From a strikeout to a three-run homer."
Manager Bud Black, who was tossed for arguing the call, talked about the umpiring during the postgame interviews.
"I saw a swing, a checked swing, but I thought he went on it," Black stated.
#Rockies Bud Black on the fire and emotion of Jake Cave following the check-swing controversy in the 9th:
“He was upset and that’s fine with me. He wasn’t the o my guy that was upset.” pic.twitter.com/YguykoqsLL
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) June 19, 2024
Rockies right fielder, Jake Cave, appeared fired up after seeing the home run fly over his head, noting that the game would have been over if the umpire simply made the right call.
Jake Cave is all of us. Man of the people. #Rockies pic.twitter.com/tNGn244Joq
— Blake Street Banter ⚾🌮 (@blakestbanter) June 19, 2024
"I mean I was yelling at it from right, obviously during the inning. But then when we made the last out, I'm running in, and he [umpire Barksdale] looks me right in the face and goes 'Cave, it's not even close.' So that's when I really got pissed, because 'are you that out of tune with the game?' Where you tell me that's not even close. Everybody in the world can see that it is at least close."
Cave continued, "That game is won on that swing, that is a swing and a miss, and the game is won, and we beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. So yeah I'm pissed."
With a loss, the Rockies (25-48) now fall 20 games back behind the Dodgers (46-29) in the NL West, who have the second-best record in the National League, as they are only one of three NL teams (Phillies: 49-25, Brewers: 43-30) that currently have a winning record.
Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Has Heated Exchange With Umpire: 'F—-ing Speak Up'
