Replay era begins

A gray, rectangular box on the wall of the umpire’s dressing room at Chicago’s Wrigley Field containing a phone and a high definition TV monitor signaled a new era Thursday as instant replay arrived in major league baseball.

An umpiring crew chief can pick up the phone and ask a replay center in New York to send him all available feeds so he can review boundary calls – was a ball fair or foul, was it over the fence or not, did a fan interfere with a potential home run?

“Purists are not going to like this and not everyone is going to like it,” umpiring supervisor Larry Young said before the Cubs played the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We are going to do our best to do it quickly and accurately.”

Determining where home runs land – or if they are homers at all – can often be the most difficult call for an umpire. There have been 18 such plays so far this season, Young said.

“That is how many we’ve had so far and it will vary from year to year,” he added.

The crew chief will have most of the authority. If there is a question about a home run, the umpires will consult with one another, as they often do, and the crew chief will make the decision. One umpire will remain on the field while the review is under way – a process that Young hopes will be completed within 21/2 minutes.

Young said the video center in New York, where feeds from the 30 major league ballparks are already being collected, will assist the game umpires with the replays but will have no part in determining the call.

A manager can’t demand a review, although he can ask for one. Once the decision is made, he can’t argue or he will be ejected.

“When we come back with a ruling from video replay there is no argument, unless it involves spectator interference, and then the manager is entitled to an explanation,” Young said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who turned 65 on Thursday and has been around baseball most of his life, was agreeable.

“We’re only talking about home run balls. We’re not talking about plays at third base or balls and strikes or any of those things. We’re just talking about a select portion of the game,” he said.

“Sometimes with the configurations of these ballparks and so forth, it makes it tough.”

Getting it right is what major league baseball said was most important when it ended its long holdout from video replay.

The NFL first used replay to aid officials in 1986, the NHL in 1991 and the NBA in 2002.

It’s also used in tennis.

N.L. highlights

Nationals 11, Dodgers 2: At Washington, Cristian Guzman hit for the cycle and Elijah Dukes had two home runs, helping the Nationals to a rout over Los Angeles, which lost its seventh consecutive game and fell 31/2 games behind Arizona in the West.

Guzman finished the cycle with an RBI triple in the eighth inning off reliever Joe Beimel.

Cubs 6, Phillies 4: At Chicago, Aramis Ramirez’s grand slam capped a five-run eighth inning and the Cubs won their sixth straight game in dramatic fashion, rallying for a victory over Philadelphia.

The Cubs increased their lead in the Central to 61/2 games over Milwaukee. The Phillies fell one game behind the New York Mets in the East.

A.L. highlights

Rays 3, Blue Jays 2: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Edwin Jackson took a shutout into the eighth inning, Cliff Floyd and Willy Aybar each homered, and Tampa Bay beat Toronto to guarantee it will finish no worse than .500 for the first time in franchise history.

The Rays increased their lead in the East to 41/2 games over Boston, which lost to the New York Yankees.

Athletics 3, Twins 2: At Oakland, Calif., pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki doubled in the winning run with one out in the ninth inning and Oakland beat Minnesota, which trails the Chicago White Sox by 11/2 games in the Central.

Joey Devine pitched the eighth to pick up the victory for Oakland.

Around the majors

Josh Beckett was scratched again from a scheduled start, and the Boston Red Sox ace plans to have his ailing right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews today in Alabama. … Second baseman Howie Kendrick, one of the Los Angeles Angels’ top hitters this season, went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. … Atlanta right-handed reliever Rafael Soriano had elbow surgery and is expected to be ready by spring training next season.