Lost Homers

[Guest AG/DC]

So, remind me. This is the second lost homer of the Mets season, right? What was the other one? Some place like Houston with a funky wall in left, I think.

[Gwreck]

Beltran in Florida, the 2nd or 3rd game of the year.

[Guest AG/DC]

We should keep a tally.

Two lost homers in a season seems shocking. Bad calls happen, but these should come as often as no-hitters.

[metirish]

] By ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, April 3rd 2008, 4:00 AM MIAMI - Carlos Beltran already wanted instant replay in baseball. Now, he's adamant. Beltran was deprived of an apparent fifth-inning homer when the original call was overruled, seemingly in error. The outfield wall is topped by a yellow line and a railing. The line is in play, but hitting the rail is supposed to be a home run. The ball appeared to hit the railing and bounce straight up. "Even tennis they have the challenge thing," said Beltran, who instead was credited with his franchise-record-tying third double of the game. Beltran suggests giving each team one challenge per game. GMs voted, 25-5, at their November meetings to recommend exploring the instant-replay topic with respect to home run calls.

[Gwreck]

This one was much worse than Delgado's -- the ball was landing and took a dramatic bounce up in the air and back onto the field.

The only possible way a ball could have done that was by striking a solid object beyond the wall. Terrible call.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't know if this counts, but Wright hit a shot in that opening series in Miami that would've been a Home Run anywhere else, even in the Astrodome and Death Valley in the old Yankee Stadium. Wright's line drive hit near the top of the portion of that high outfield wall that is closest to Center Field.

[metirish]

I think by strict definition that doesn't count , I think we have had a few like that , Easley comes to mind with a wicked drive at Shea only for it to die , that started a debate on the winds of change at Shea wit the new stadium beyond the wall.

[TransMonk]

Not Mets related, but the umps blew this one on 4/13/08 in a Phils/Cubs game. I saw this play live on TV and couldn't believe the umps blew it. It ended up effecting the outcome of the game.

ESPN wrote: Manuel earned his first ejection of the season for arguing DeRosa's homer off Jamie Moyer in the sixth that gave Chicago a 4-2 lead. DeRosa hit a high drive down the left-field line leading off the inning. Third-base umpire Adrian Johnson called it fair, though replays showed the ball was just foul. Left fielder Pat Burrell immediately trotted in to state his case and Manuel ran out to express his opinion. After the umpires refused to overturn the call following a brief meeting, Manuel continued arguing and was tossed. "I thought it was foul," Manuel said. "I saw the replay." Cubs manager Lou Piniella had a different view. "It looked fair to me," he said. Told by reporters the ball was foul, Piniella replied: "Really? You mean the umpires were wrong?"

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280413122

[Benjamin Grimm]

I never really felt this way before, but instant reply does make sense for these kinds of plays.

Based on the few incidents we're aware of this season, having the umpires assemble and discuss the call doesn't lead to the right result.

[HahnSolo]

Didn't someone run a kwiz a couple of years ago listing all the Met hits that went over the wall that did not count as HRs?

Does anyone remember that? The only ones I remember were Tim Teufel in the Astrodome and Ventura in the playoffs.

[Guest AG/DC]

Kingman hit the Lip of the unfinished dome in the Big O, and the umpires called it foul out of shock. Replays suggested they weren't even close to correct.

[Guest AG/DC]

Retrosheet actually keeps track of this. They've already added Delgado's homer, but not Beltran's: http://retrosheet.org/losthr.htm

[Gwreck]

Oops. I emailed them about Delgado's (although I suspect I was not the only one).

[Guest AG/DC]

Good job. Tell them about Beltran.

[Gwreck]

Way ahead of you.

Gwreck wrote: New York (N) at Florida April 2, 2008 In the top of the 5th inning, Carlos Beltran hit a deep fly ball off Matt Lindstrom to right-center field. The ball cleared the wall, struck a metal railing and bounced up in the air, landing back in the field of play. It was initially called a home run by third base umpire Jeff Kellogg. Kellogg was incorrectly overruled by second base umpire Rick Reed and Beltran was awarded a ground-rule double. The botched call was not game-determinative, as the Mets won the game 13-0.