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Disputed infield fly call draws scrutiny after wild-card debacle
212-621-1500Associated Press
The Associated Press
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Reds power way to Game 1 NLDS win
SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce homered, and Cincinnati overcame an injury to starter Johnny Cueto as the Reds beat the Giants, 5-2, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series late Saturday night.
Cueto threw eight pitches before suffering back spasms that forced him to leave the game. He is day to day.
— AP
By The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, October 6, 2012, 8:24 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, January 9, 2013
ATLANTA — The NFL replacement refs are not there to kick around anymore.
Not to worry. A familiar target has emerged.
Instead of guys wearing stripes, it's the men in blue.
Major League Baseball found itself embroiled in another postseason maelstrom over umpires — and renewed calls for increased use of instant replay — after a disputed infield fly call led to mayhem in the stands in the one-game, winner-take-all playoff in Atlanta.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Braves, 6-3, on Friday. But this landmark game — the debut of the wild-card playoff under baseball's expanded postseason format — will long be remembered for a ruling by Sam Holbrook in the eighth.
Andrelton Simmons hit a pop fly that dropped safely in left field after a mix-up between two fielders, either able to have caught the ball easily. Holbrook ruled the batter out anyway under the infield fly rule. The fans at Turner Field went nuts, littering the field with debris.
“This was an exciting game,” said Joe Torre, who serves as MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations. “I'm sorry about the controversy.”
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