When The Umpires Can't Decide
A forgotten controversy
When The Umpires Can’t Decide
There were runners on first and second with nobody out. It was the top of the 4th inning, game 4 of the 1980 NLCS.
The Phillies were losing to the Astros in this series, 2 games to 1. They were playing at the Astrodome, notorious for being a difficult park to hit in.
Manager Dallas Green had the runners take off from first and second as Garry Maddox swung.
Maddox hit a soft liner back to pitcher Vern Ruhle. And that’s where things got strange.
Depending on your vantage point (or, more appropriately, which team you rooted for), Ruhle either caught the ball on the fly or on the bounce.
Vern threw to first base, which I honestly think is a sign that he trapped it.
The first base umpire signaled that somebody was out. But it wasn’t clear if the runner had been doubled off, or if the batter was out on a ground ball.
First baseman Art Howe thought quickly and ran over to second base to double off the lead runner.
The umpires had two choices here:
Rule that Ruhle had caught the ball, resulting in a triple play.
Rule that Ruhle had trapped the ball, resulting in an out at first base with runners on second and third.
For some bizarre reason, they chose neither.
This is an example of where even instant replay can’t save you. ABC wasn’t exactly known for great camera angles in 1980. It apparently only had two angles on this play — and the combination of the alien green of the artificial turf and the grainy nature of those cameras made both angles inconclusive.
But the real problem is that the umpires simply didn’t make a decision.
After 15 minutes had passed and the umpires consulted with National League President Chub Feeney, who was sitting in the first row down the first base line, the umpires decided to send the runner on second back to second and rule it a double play — a compromise that makes no sense.
Of course, it was all for naught in the end. Larry Bowa, the next hitter, hit a soft grounder to second and the inning was over.
But, man oh man, this was one of the strangest plays of all time.
