CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he appreciated umpire Jim Wolf admitting he made the wrong call in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night vs. the Dodgers. Maddon had argued the call and was ejected for the second time in the series.
"I give Jimmy Wolf a ton of credit for coming forth like he did," Maddon said Thursday. "That's awesome. I've known him for years and he's outstanding and I love when he's umpiring big games."
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With a runner on first base and one out in the eighth inning, the Dodgers' Curtis Granderson appeared to swing through a Wade Davis pitch that nicked catcher Willson Contreras' mitt before it hit the dirt. Wolf, who was the home-plate umpire, said Granderson had struck out but Granderson argued the call, insisting it was a foul tip.
Wolf met with the rest of the umpire crew and the call was reversed. That play is not reviewable under MLB replay rules.
Maddon then sprinted out of the dugout to argue the call and was ejected after a lively and animated argument.
"I had to do what I did," Maddon said Thursday. "I'm not proud of it. I had to do it."
After Game 4 of the NLCS presented by Camping World, which the Cubs won, 3-2, Wolf admitted that he reviewed the play and realized he was "dead wrong" and that he "talked myself into the whole thing."
Maddon appreciated Wolf's honesty.
"It's always good when somebody admits to something like that," Maddon said. "Listen, I make -- we all make mistakes every day. That one yesterday, like I said after the game, that was pretty crucial. I'm a big Wolfy fan, Wolfy and I have known each other for a long time. I like Wolfy in big games. He's a good umpire. He's really good. He knows the game. He understands the nuance of the game. He adds that to it also as an umpire. His brother was a pitcher. He's all of that.
"So, listen, when Wolfy steps up and says something like that, God, your appreciation for him increases even more, I think," Maddon said. "For me, it does."
What made the situation better for the Cubs was that Davis then struck out Granderson on the next pitch.