DENVER -- Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros felt the nick of victory.
With the bases loaded and two out in the ninth in a one-run game, Karros charged to field Jake Mangum’s slow grounder but felt the foot of Pirates baserunner Billy Cook graze his glove. Karros never made a throw to first base, instead turning to second-base umpire Tyler Jones and raising his arms in protest.
The umpires met briefly, then first-base umpire and crew chief Todd Tichenor pointed to the scene of contact and signaled that Cook committed interference and was ruled out. Thus ended the Rockies’ 2-1 victory at Coors Field on Saturday night.
“I was going to get the ball, then his cleat kind of clipped my glove,” Karros said. “I still fielded the ball, but it was all kind of rattling around in my glove, so I couldn’t really get a throw off. But I knew the rule going into it.”
Tichenor told the pool reporter, “The runner failed to avoid the defender in the act of fielding the baseball; therefore, he’s called out. It’s very simple.”
As the Rockies-leaning crowd of 40,380 went absolutely potty, Pirates manager Don Kelly sprinted to the umpires in protest. But, after reviewing the play, he knew the ruling was correct.
"They said that they got together and that Billy kicked his glove, which he did, looking at the replay,” Kelly said. “I just didn't know [why,] if you saw that, why it wasn't called immediately. You had to get together to call it."
Karros said, “I saw one of them point and it looked like he said, ‘I saw him touch it,’ or something like that.”
Cook didn’t believe there was contact until he saw the video.
“No, I didn’t feel contact, and then all of a sudden they called me out and I was like, ‘Dude, I didn’t feel it,’” Cook said. “I watched the replay and it nicks just enough of his glove, but the cleat and everything, I didn’t feel it in the toe area. I guess the replay shows that I did. The video doesn’t lie. Just unfortunate how that played out.”
Karros, in his second Major League season, said he didn’t alter his path to attract contact. However, he said that earlier this season Rockies bench coach Jeff Pickler instructed him on such plays.
“There was a slow roller and I had avoided the runner, and it messed with the way I fielded the ball,” Karros said. “He just said, ‘Just run straight toward the ball. If he touches you, he’s out.’ That’s what I did.”