Instant Replay in Baseball

I’m sure you’ve heard by now about Sunday’s a crazy game between the Twins and A’s. The Twins gave up a 10 run lead only to apparently come back themselves as Michael Cuddyer attempted to score the tying run from second base on a passed ball with two outs in the ninth. Cuddyer sprinted the whole way, but was called out at the plate. However, immediately afterwards, replays showed that he had quite clearly made it safely. Incensed, Cuddyer instantly started arguing with the umpire, shocked at the decision.

These things happen in baseball, umpires make wrong decisions, and in some cases it might be a very black-and-white win-or-lose situation at the end of a game. So, naturally, ESPN has decided that because of this call that ended a game, it’s time to start peddling the instant replay controversy. Even though no actual sports authority has broached the subject, every show is weighing in on the various opinions regarding the expansion of instant replay. According to Sports Nation, 46 percent of fans prefer the way things are going and 44% want to have instant replay expanded in baseball. I find that hard to believe, but we’ll go with it anyway.

The argument for instant replay is either:

1. The most important thing is to get it right, no matter the cost in time.

2. The game is slow anyway, and instead of spending so much time arguing, might as well just use replay.

So, even though this whole “controversy” was entirely made up by the leader in sports, I thought I’d add my two cents anyway. I am definitely against the expansion of replay in baseball. Firstly, most people suggest that the next step for replay will be fair/foul calls. To me, I just don’t see how this works. If a ball is ruled foul, but then overturned, what base do you award the base runner? What I like about baseball is that there are very few assumptions made, as opposed to football (which I might add is so amazingly inexact at some times that when it uses replay for the smallest of margins it almost seems silly) where there are often more.

More importantly however, I like that in baseball there are judgment calls, and those are made by people. Yes, I’m fine with the home run replay, because a ball has either left the yard, or it hasn’t. If any part of it hits the yellow line, it’s gone. There are specific rules. But determining whether someone is out or safe, or whether it was a ball or a strike, is a little more vague. It should be left up to the people who make these sorts of judgments for a living, umpires. All I know is that I don’t want to see any managers throwing red flags past the first base line so that we can hit the replay for baseball, there’s something just so pure about baseball, and I hope it remains that way. – Gregory Shapiro

Greg is an orthopedic surgeon that has a number of professional athletes including MLB players as patients. He’s an avid MLB fan and rotisserie player with some unique insight into the world of professional athletes.