Mets seek error call to help Dickey's ERA
New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning. (June 11, 2011) Credit: AP
PITTSBURGH -- The Mets Sunday asked Major League Baseball to review an official scorer's decision from the key play in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.
The Mets want a third-inning, two-run double by Andrew McCutchen changed to an error on third baseman Daniel Murphy. That would take away two earned runs from losing pitcher R.A. Dickey's ledger.
Dickey said he's in favor of the request. When Murphy was asked Sunday about his opinion on how the play should have been scored, he replied with one letter: "E".
Dickey, whose ERA would drop from 3.98 to 3.77, said getting the ruling changed would be "some consolation" for suffering his seventh loss of the season.
"I think everybody in here worries about their numbers," Dickey said. "I don't have any problem saying I wish my ERA was this and my record was this."
Even if the decision is overturned, Dickey's record will still be 3-7 and the Mets will still have lost the game.
According to Phyllis Merhige, MLB's senior vice president of club relations, baseball does not publicize the names of the people on its committee to review scorers' decisions.
The first step, Merhige wrote in response to an e-mail question, is for a baseball official to view the play "to determine whether the scorer's call was 'clearly erroneous' and warrants a review by the full committee."
The committee must unanimously agree that the scorer made the wrong call before a change is made, she wrote.
The ball was a two-hopper that Murphy said he misjudged as being harder hit than it was. He went down to the ground and tried to backhand it, but the ball hit off his right knee brace and turned a 1-1 game into a 3-1 game.
Veteran official scorer Tony Krizmanich originally called it a triple, then changed it to a double with McCutchen taking third on the throw home.
One person hoping the call isn't changed again? McCutchen.
"I feel like it was a base hit," he told MLB.com. "I would be pretty upset if they changed that."
