Lowrie's near-homer reviewed, foul call stands

MINNEAPOLIS -- Umpires ruled that the call stands after replay review of Jed Lowrie's near-home run in the third inning of Monday's 8-3 win over the Twins.

With one out in the inning and his team clinging to a 2-1 lead, Lowrie lined one toward the right-field foul pole, and he got past first base before realizing it had been called foul. A's manager Bob Melvin ran out of the dugout and urged crew chief Bill Miller to review the play.

On replays, shadows at Target Field made it difficult to tell which way the ball wrapped around the foul pole, but umpires said the call would stand.

"It was going straight," said Lowrie, "and then at the last second it just took a hard line to the right, so when I saw it originally, I thought it hooked around the pole because it was going so far right."

"I was sitting right on the line, but sometimes I do realize, too, I'm a little one-sided with it, but that's what it's for, and I appreciate them taking a look," added Melvin. "It took a little while, so it must've been pretty close."

Major League Baseball had this to say about the length of time it took to review the play: "The replay umpires looked at multiple angles multiple times. They wanted to be certain they got it right, and took more time than average to examine the angles. Ultimately, they saw no replay that clearly and convincingly indicated that the call on the field was incorrect."

Lowrie proceeded to walk and score in the three-run inning, and it was perhaps the strangest at-bat he can recall ever having. The veteran infielder ran toward first base on a 3-2 count, having thought the previous pitch was ball four in advance of the near-homer.

"I always ask the ump on 3-2 counts, and the scoreboard said 3-2," Lowrie explained. "For some reason that time I didn't, and it was a 2-2 count and they had it on the board wrong. Just kind of funny. I touched first base three times in one at-bat."