Broadcast teams disagree about important play

Thursday’s matchup between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves featured an incredibly big call late in the game that ultimately needed to be reviewed. And both broadcast teams had differing opinions on the call.

The game was tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning with the Braves at the plate. After a leadoff walk, the Braves brought in Whit Merrifield as a pinch runner for Eddie Rosario.

The move paid off initially, as Merrifield was able to get into scoring position by stealing second base. Later in the inning, Merrifield would attempt to steal third base on what ended up being a very close call.

After reviewing the play multiple times on replay, the Mets broadcast team on SNY concluded that Merrifield was safe at third base.

“Vientos got him on the left arm,” said Gary Cohen. “The question is whether the hand hit the bag before the tag on the arm.

“It’s the left hand that gets in first,” Keith Hernandez said. “(He) picked it up, picked his hand up a bit… He’s safe.”

“I think he’s safe too, Keith,” Ron Darling added.

“It’s pretty close,” Cohen added as he looked at another replay. But I think he’s safe. That right there… It’s pretty clear.”

Meanwhile, the Braves broadcast was far less convinced that Merrifield was definitively safe on the play, instead seeing it as a call that could have gone either way.

“Yeah, I think he’s gonna be out,” said Jeff Francoeur after watching the replay. “It’s bang-bang.”

“It’s one of those where if he was called safe (before the review), it probably stays safe,” said Brandon Gaudin.

“I agree, it pretty much looks like he tagged him at the same time,” Francoeur added.

Merrifield was ultimately called out after the review, stopping the Braves scoring chance in its tracks. The play was quite consequential, as they could have been heading into the bottom of the ninth with a lead.

Instead, the Mets would go on to win this game in extra innings after Braves outfielder Ramon Laureano overran a fly ball off the bat of Jeff McNeil in the bottom of the tenth inning.

Braves fans are going to have some hard feelings about this loss, particularly because Merrifield very well may have been safe in the key ninth-inning moment. But the Braves broadcast team very clearly didn’t share this kind of passionate frustration about the call.

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