This Just In ...
Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Was CC robbed?
CC Sabathia officially gave up only one hit in the Brewers 7-0 win in Pittsburgh today against the Pirates. The Brewers are angry, believing the official scorer messed up, and that the hit credited to Pirate Andy LaRoche should have been an error charged to Sabathia, giving Sabathia a no-hitter.
Brewer Manager Ned Yost says it was an error. Pittsburgh Manager John Russell says it was a hit.
What does the guy who swung the bat, LaRoche have to say?
First, here’s how the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes the play in question:
“LaRoche squibbed a 2-2 slider -- off a check-swing -- to the left of the mound. Sabathia got there quickly and tried to barehand the ball but dropped it and never made a throw. Within seconds, (Official scorer Bob) Webb announced to the press box that it was a single. Webb's decision, which he explained right after the game, was that it would have taken an ‘above-ordinary’ play for Sabathia to get LaRoche.
‘The way the ball came off the bat, it was spinning, and it went to the left of the mound with a left-handed pitcher going to get it. It's a difficult play,’ Webb said. ‘The definition requires that standard effort is required, and that would have taken more than an ordinary effort. The runner was well down the line.’”
So you’d expect LaRoche to say he had a clean hit, right? Guess again. Once more, from the Pittsburgh paper:
“LaRoche, who saw a replay, said, ‘I'm sure they'll change it to an error. I mean, I obviously didn't hit it very hard, so it really doesn't deserve a hit.’”
Here’s the Pittsburgh paper’s story, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s coverage.
I’d be stunned if Major League Baseball changes the call. Bob Webb is Public Enemy #1 in Milwaukee.
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