Wow. Last night’s Pittsburgh-Atlanta game ended with Jerry Meals making one of the worst calls in MLB history

July 27, 2011 By 13 Comments

If you have not yet seen the 19th inning play that ended last night’s Pittsburgh-Atlanta game, you really need to. Let’s just say that the outrageous claim in the headline of this post is not hyperbole.

Not sure how long this embeddable video will be available, but here it is:

If/when the above video is removed by the MLB online gestapo, here is the play in GIF form, via SBNation:

jerry-meals-terrible-call-pittsburgh-atlanta

Also, you can view the play at multiple angles – each one progressively worse for Meals – at MLB.com here.

I’d comment on this, but there isn’t really much to say. Jerry Meals absolutely blew it, and from the announcers comments it sounds like he’d been pretty terrible all night.

If Pittsburgh ends up missing the playoffs by one game, you can bet your sweet ass every Pirates fan will look back at this game with ire and regret.

Wow…that sucked.

Update: After being prompted by multiple commenters and tweeters, I looked at the call a little closer, and perhaps it’s not one of the “worst calls in MLB history”…and I say this only because the replay is not 100% definitive. But damn, the ball beats him, he doesn’t hit the plate until after, and it looks like the ump’s view of the potential tag might not have been totally clear. Still looks like a pretty chickencrap call to me, but there should probably be definitive video proof before jackwagons like me call it one of the worst in history.

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Atlanta Braves, jerry meals, Pittsburgh Pirates
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • Mark

    I keep looking at it, and I'm not sure he tags him.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JerodMSF

    Boy I don\’t know. Sure looks like he tagged him to me.

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  • Amanda Lawson

    Wow. Just wow. That sucks.

  • joe

    than sir you need glasses

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  • Kongo

    I've umpired quite a bit when I was younger…There are a few unspoken rules when umpiring a game at the higher levels of play…in this case one of those is if the ball clearly beats the runner and the tag is "seemingly" there than call it…it has to be pretty obvious not to…It should have been very out regardless whether or not he actually touched him…nobody would have argued had be been called out.

  • Tim

    In the context of this play, the MLB defines a tag as "…touching a runner with the ball, or with his hand or glove holding the ball, while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove."

    Despite all of the other obvious contacts that occurred, the tag was definitely more subtle than most at home plate. From the side, it seemed like a very fluid motion so I can see how the ump might have thought there was no contact between runner and glove. This observation has me wondering if "worst in MLB history" is a little excessive ("worst in Pirates history",.though may be)

    Despite this, as others have noted, with the ball beating the runner and the tag attempt having been made, the ump had better have pretty damning evidence to call the runner safe. I didn't see such evidence here.

  • orlandoseoconsultant

    Abso F IN LOOTLY! He was tagged! I really eat at me since I put in my time to watch every darn inning of the game too!

  • Aaron

    Doesn't this feel like one of those instances where if you're catching in a game like this, and you have to tag the guy out, you fricken bowl him over once you have the ball. Hit him in the dang chest with it. Stop his forward momentum. ANYTHING to make it absolutely clear that you touched him. This catcher didn't do that. There is absolutely room for reasonable doubt about that contact. Not the worst call ever. By far.

  • matt

    I don’t think he got him. His glove stays in front of the runner.

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