The Los Angeles Dodgers were defeated by the Miami Marlins, 3-2, on Tuesday night, partly because of a controversial balk call in the top of the eighth inning.
With the Dodgers leading 2-1, left-handed reliever Tony Cingrani was pitching to Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto with one out and a runner on first base. Cingrani did his usual pickoff move to keep the runner honest, only for first-base umpire Joe West to immediately call it a balk.
Realmuto scored two batters later on a two-out single by Starlin Castro to tie the game. The Marlins added another run in the ninth off Pedro Baez to secure their 3-2 victory.
After the loss, Cingrani voiced his frustration with the call that he did not agree with, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It happened, I can’t really do anything after the fact. It’s just not a balk. But he called it a balk, so it’s a balk. I just got to live with it. I just can’t give up a hit to Castro, essentially.”
A balk is defined as an illegal motion made by a pitcher that may deceive a baserunner, which pretty much leaves the rule open to interpretation.
It did not appear that Cingrani did anything to deceive the baserunner, but West felt he did and made the call. West did not give up the game-tying hit to Castro nor the game-winning hit, so his call is not the sole reason the Dodgers lost the game.
Los Angeles can look inward, as their offense managed just two runs and five hits against a Marlins pitching staff that’s had its share of struggles this season.
