As I am writing this, all it's currently taking for the Philadelphia Phillies, vastly underrepresented, to outfox the Miami Marlins is one run scored by a fielder's choice. If it were any other time of year, in any other week, I'd assume the Phils would be able to finish the job. But not after last night.
Last night, I am of the firm belief that had we been under an MLB regime that valued automated strike zones over the union of dozens of old men who are routinely wrong about shit, the Phils would have gotten the win and nobody would have gotten hurt. But because some umpire thought a Zack Wheeler strike was a little off, a runner advanced and the Marlins were able to break the game open, win, and leave Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber open to be injured. Because of some ump who thought they were right, and as it's been seen now completely wasn't, the Phillies are down their two best power hitters and lost a game that they were within inches from winning.
There are people who will go 'oh, it's more complex than that'--it's not. If there was a robo-ump, it would have been strike three, and the Marlins don't come back. It is that simple. And there are so many games that have been decided by an umpire who was spatially misinformed. The umpiring has been shit across the board this year, as evidenced by a Yankee game I went to last week that was decided by awful umpiring in favor of the opposing team. And that is really what you get most of the time. Occasionally you get someone who's on their shit, but not very often.
I don't think the Marlins deserved to win that game. I don't think they deserved to be put in the position to get the better of Zack Wheeler, because the circumstances of them being able to score runs off him in the 7th were the result of a blown call. Alright, stay in the game, pitcher who was gearing up for this to be the last batter, let's have Otto Lopez and Ali Sanchez bloop their way over, and then let's have Josh Bell and Bryan de la Cruz come right down on Matt Strahm.
It's clear to me that a complete freak accident is what led Jake Burger, Josh Bell and Dane Myers to suddenly show up, because they wouldn't show up otherwise. The circumstances had to be tailored to be as bad, and as ill-prepared, as possible in order for these people who never get hits to actually get something done. Otto Lopez I'm not shocked over, he's been getting a lot done as a contact bat, and he's one of the few Marlins players to actually come off as competent this year. But under normal, non-bullshit circumstances, they don't spring to life.
The Marlins don't win because the Marlins are the better team. They win because the other team screws themselves over, or the establishment does. I reckon there's gonna be a lot of that this year.
Anyway, hopefully the Phillies can hold out and take the V here. If not, I have no idea what could have gone wrong.
Coming Tonight: Ironically, someone who's been linked to Philadelphia in trade talks.
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