Austin Hedges directs anger toward New York replay crew after loss: 'It cost the game'

Austin Hedges didn't hold back his frustration.

After the Guardians' 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers Tuesday night, a game that effectively began and ended with controversial calls that left Cleveland's dugout frustrated, Hedges directed some anger toward the New York replay crew that overturned a crucial call at home plate in the first inning.

With a runner on second and two outs, Harold Castro grounded a ball up the middle that deflected off second base. Tyler Freeman corralled it and threw home as Javy Baez raced for the plate. The throw beat Baez there, and Hedges applied the tag to seemingly end the inning.

Guardians starting pitchers finally living up to their own expectations with hot stretch

But the call was challenged by the Tigers, and the replay crew in New York ruled that Hedges had blocked the plate. So the call was overturned and the run scored. Kerry Carpenter then followed with a two-run home run, making it a three-run inning. Instead of escaping unscathed, the Guardians were down 3-0.

Major League Baseball's "collision at home plate" rule, which is rarely called, aims to ensure a runner has a clear path to slide at home plate without a catcher fully blocking that path. Specifically, it states that "unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score." Just how much of the path needs to be blocked to overturn a call could be up to interpretation.

Last month, Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was furious with a similar call, saying it was "one of the most chicken-s*** things I've ever seen on a baseball field" and that the rule has been "applied differently" recently. Baldelli isn't alone in that frustration, as the two leading contenders in the American League Central have now both been impacted by the rule in what is a tight race for the division.

Hedges was clearly angry after the game with the crew in New York that overturned the call, leading to the Tigers' three-run inning. He spoke for nearly three minutes, outlining his anger with how the rule is called, that particular play and a lack of accountability for those involved.

"First of all, it cost the game," Hedges said. "It's a play that's been called a few times now recently that really has never been called before. For some reason, New York feels like they need to take over the game and change the way the game's played. Guys are just out. There's plays at home that are beating the runners, and for 150 years you're out.

"And now, we're calling some type of rule that is really tricky to define. To be able to take the game into their own hands that way and to, first of all, that cost one run automatically. And then what ended up transitioning. Honestly, it's a disgrace. It's embarrassing. I think New York owes [Guardians starter] Zach Plesac, specifically, an apology because they took the game out of his hands. The guy was throwing the ball amazing. Overturning that call right there, like I said, it cost the game.

"I don't need to get into the rest of the debacle with the umpires because it was a really, really poor executed job by them. It's too bad. It's too bad when we play a sport where we get held accountable. Where we say something, we get held accountable, we get mocked, we get shamed. There's no accountability on their part right now."

As Hedges continued, an unidentified player said, "F*** yeah, Hedge" as he walked out of the clubhouse and into a nearby hallway.

"[The umpires] say, 'OK, here's a play where I can show my power," Hedges continued. "Here's a play where I can take over the game.' And that's not the game that we play. That's not the game that we've played for forever. They're trying to take over the game and they're trying to change the game. And it's disappointing.

"For a team that goes out there and fights every single night to win every game, for it to cost us a game when we're trying to win a division, we're trying to make the playoffs, we're trying to do something special. For that to be taken out of our hands like that is a disgrace and it's extremely disappointing. I'm disappointed, and that's all I have to say. Thank you."

Hedges then walked out of the clubhouse. Manager Terry Francona said he didn't feel Hedges' positioning was "egregious" enough to overturn the call and called it "frustrating."

Controversy has recently followed the rule, as Hedges and Baldelli serve as examples of those frustrated by how the rule has been called lately compared to how it was enforced for years. The rule was implemented after a few collisions at home plate caused injuries, namely to San Francisco Giants star Buster Posey more than a decade ago. The rule was implemented in 2014.

The difference in interpretation, it seems, resides with how the catcher blocks the plate and how much of a path the runner has to home.

"They said the catcher did not give the runner the lane. He blocked the plate from the beginning," said home plate umpire Lance Barksdale, relaying what he was told by the replay crew in New York, in a pool report. "Then he dropped down and blocked the plate after he received the ball. He set up blocking the plate to begin with his foot."

Barksdale said that instance is simply happening more, but Baldelli and Hedges have shared other viewpoints.

“No, it’s just happening more now," Barksdale said. "The same rule has been applied the whole year. Sometimes you have a routine ground ball to the infield and the catcher doesn’t have time to come up. He had plenty of time to move out of the runner’s way."

Terry Francona, Myles Straw ejected in ninth inning of loss to Tigers

The controversy wasn't finished in the first inning, though. With one out and the tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth inning, Myles Straw swung and fouled off a pitch. It appeared at first as though it was called a foul ball but, after the umpiring crew talked on the field, it was announced that Tucker Barnhart had caught the ball just off the ground and Straw was out.

A few pitches later, Steven Kwan grounded out to end the game.

Francona was quickly ejected and continued yelling at Barksdale, getting his money's worth before leaving the field to a loud ovation from the home fans at Progressive Field. Straw was also ejected, and bench coach DeMarlo Hale then also had words on the field with another umpire.

"You know, I thought he called foul ball. And that's what I was arguing," Francona said. "I can't imagine they could overturn it from where they were, but I guess what they overturned is that he caught the ball. I didn't even see — I thought it was foul ball. I needed to yell at him anyway."

Barksdale explained after the game that after conferring with the other umpires, it was their belief that Barnhart had caught it.

“We go on sound because we can’t see the ball down. I thought I heard the ball hit the ground, which it did, but the catcher got his glove under it. I didn’t know it at the time," Barksdale said. "The catcher is telling me he caught the ball.

"We try to get the plays right. So I checked the ball and got my crew together and to a man no one else had the ball hitting the ground. So we changed it. We try to get the plays right. He foul-tipped it and the catcher said he got his glove under it. … And we said the ball did not hit the ground."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Austin Hedges blasts New York replay crew: 'It cost the game'