Who is right? Dodgers fans are furious about the close call at the plate that the Yankees took advantage of

The Los Angeles Dodgers had plenty to cheer about early in Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees but not every moment went the way they wanted. Fans were outraged in the top of the fourth inning when replay review confirmed a close out call at the plate.

Tommy Edman hit a bunt hoping to bring home Gavin Lux, but the umps ruled that Yankees catcher Jose Trevino got his hit in time. Dave Roberts quickly called for a repeat review.

The piece seemed very close. Lux’s hand seemed to make its way to the plate, but the camera angles weren’t entirely definitive.

The Dodgers clearly thought Lux had made it in time. Fans online were furious when the call came in. Even Jose Canseco agreed.

Are Dodgers fans and media right? Are the umps wrong? It’s complex.

There appears to be a fundamental misinterpretation of the catcher interference rule. Here is the relevant passage of the line from MLB.com:

“The catcher is not permitted to block the runner’s path to the plate unless he is in possession of the ball. The runner may be declared safe if the umpire determines that the catcher has violated this rule.”

Claims that Trevino was guilty of interference are incorrect because he did have the ball in his glove when he dropped his knee and blocked the plate. He can do that.

The argument that Lux created the tag anyway is more compelling. I think Lux put his hand on the plate before Trevino’s tag reached him, based on where his hand was in relation to Trevino’s glove if we lose sight of the plate. Still, I understand that the replay center chose not to topple it. There didn’t seem to be a single angle that showed Lux’s hand on the board without a doubt.

Different eyes can come to different conclusions about this. But maybe Dave Roberts could have avoided all of this if he hadn’t gotten a Tommy Edman bunt in that situation.