"Except, home plate umpire Mark Wegner blew the call, something that became a common theme throughout the game, and called it strike two instead. The pitch was so far out of the zone that Varsho (rightly) assumed he had been issued a free pass and started to take off his elbow guard. To the surprise of almost everyone, Wegner made a VERY delayed strike call, and everything changed from there."
"Varso hesitated for a moment and then threw his bat away to continue his free trip to first base. Unfortunately, the moment of confusion led to Bichette starting to jog down to second base as he assumed that a walk had taken place as well. As a result, the Dodgers picked up a crucial out on one of the most bizarre "pick off" plays you'll ever see, especially in a game of this magnitude."
"Before I jump all over the officials, I have to acknowledge the mistakes made by Bichette and Varsho here. First of all, you can never assume anything in pro sports, especially in baseball, when human error can have far too great an impact on a game. Wegner's call was undoubtedly wrong, but both Varsho and Bichette need to have a greater awareness of the situation."
The Blue Jays had multiple chances to win Game 3 but an early second-inning rally was negated by a delayed, incorrect call. Bo Bichette reached, and Daulton Varsho took a high fastball that appeared to be ball four, but home plate umpire Mark Wegner belatedly called it strike two. Varsho began removing his elbow guard and discarded his bat, believing he had a walk, while Bichette started toward second. The confusion allowed the Dodgers to record a bizarre pick-off and secure a crucial out. Varsho and Bichette share responsibility for assuming the walk and need greater situational awareness amid postseason noise.
Read at BlueJaysNation
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