Umpires get in the act in Mets-Phillies game
New York Mets manager Terry Collins argues with home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez (72) and home plate umpire Tom Hallion after Collins was ejected for arguing a catcher's interference call in the fifth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at Citi Field. Credit: AP /Kathy Willens
As if the Mets and the Phillies hadn't provided enough drama on their own, the umpires got in on the act, too.
In the Mets' 6-5 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night, umpires essentially had to oversee a review of, well, a review. Huh?
The sequence began in the third inning when umpires ruled that Matt Harvey plunked Freddy Galvis on the arm -- though replays showed the ball didn't change direction.
From the dugout, Terry Collins intended to use his manager's challenge. But umpires disallowed it because it came too late. Still, the umpires went to replay to make sure.
Collins had to request the challenge before Harvey had returned to the mound and the next hitter, Chase Utley, had stepped into the batter's box.
"We knew Utley was in the box, we weren't sure if Harvey was on the rubber or not and I told [Phillies manager Ryne] Sandberg," crew chief Tom Hallion told a pool reporter. "I was going to New York to see if Harvey was on the rubber. When I got to New York, they cannot help me there with reviewable instance."
The delay officially lasted 3 minutes, 53 seconds. But with all the back and forth, it actually lasted long enough that Harvey was granted warm-up pitches to stay loose.
Galvis eventually was allowed to stay at first.
"In the crew's opinion, it was too far along in the process when they came out. That's why I disallowed the challenge," Hallion said. "You give them every chance to make the challenge, but for some reason the Mets couldn't make the decision whether they were going to challenge it or not."
