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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

M’s get creative in latest loss


Seattle manager Bob Melvin, argues in vain with umpire crew chief Joe West. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Larry LaRue Tacoma News Tribune

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – On the off chance the Seattle Mariners had run out of ways to lose games, a 10th-inning umpiring decision handed them a new one Friday night.

A game tied at 1 was decided not by a hit or a pitch but by third-base umpire Paul Emmel’s judgment call – that rookie shortstop Jose Lopez and third baseman Willie Bloomquist “intentionally” tried to block a baserunner’s view of outfielder Raul Ibanez.

Ibanez caught the fly ball in shallow left field and Tampa Bay base runner Carl Crawford bluffed going home, then returned to third base. And Emmel immediately waved Crawford home with the winning run in the Mariners’ 2-1 loss to the Devil Rays, saying Crawford’s view of the catch had been obstructed.

For a long moment, neither team left the field – both a bit uncertain about what had just happened. And long after the Devil Rays disappeared into their clubhouse, Seattle manager Bob Melvin stood in the middle of the four-man umpiring crew.

“Paul is a good umpire – please write that,” Melvin said, “but that’s the worst call I’ve ever seen a good umpire make. You can’t end a game unless you’re 100 percent sure there was obstruction, and we’ve watched the video 10 times.

“There was no obstruction. Bloomquist was the cutoff man and he was in the right position. Lopez’s job is to cover third, and he was doing that.

“It’s just a horrible call.”

Not surprisingly, his team agreed – although for a few minutes no one seemed certain what had been called, only that the game was over.

“I’ve never seen a game end like that before,” Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said. “It was a break, and we’ll take it.”

For nearly 40 minutes after the game, the umpiring crew headed by Joe West huddled behind closed doors before talking about the call that decided the game. The umpires cited rule 7.06 (a) for the decision. When West spoke, he spoke for Emmel, and what he said stretched credibility.

“A fielder cannot attempt to impede a runner, and in this case both the shortstop and the third baseman attempted to impede the runner from seeing when the ball was caught by screening him from the play,” West said. “They did it intentionally. Melvin said ‘No,’ but I believe my umpire.”

Intentionally? Lopez is a rookie with less than a week in the majors, and Bloomquist had played nine innings in center field before moving to third base.

In the bottom of the 10th, with the bases loaded and one out, Tino Martinez lifted a pitch from Clint Nageotte into left field – clearly not deep enough to score Crawford from third. Ibanez caught the ball and his throw one-hopped into catcher Miguel Olivo’s glove. Crawford took three or four steps toward the plate and scrambled back.

Two outs? No. Game over.

“I was surprised,” Crawford said. “I’ve never seen it called. It was all right with me.”

The Mariners’ take was less charitable.

“I’m thinking one more out and we’re in the dugout and going to win this game,” Nageotte said. “I was walking back to the mound and he waved the runner in. I was shocked.”

Seattle tallied its only run in the second inning when Dan Wilson scored on an error.