Bizarre Play Helps Jacksonville Down Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos

July 1, 2014

Pensacola Blue Wahoos catcher and clean up hitter Ross Perez hit .356 in June. Lead off hitter Yorman Rodriguez is batting .356 in the past 12 games.

And the five position players called up from High-A Bakersfield after the June 17 Southern League All-Star break (Kyle Waldrop, Seth Mejias-Brean, Marquez Smith, Jesse Winker and Ryan Wright) were a combined 10 for 22, a .454 clip Monday night.

“Our offense this year in my mind has played good,” Wahoos manager DeShields said. “We’ve scored runs and at one point we were hitting the highest in the league. Those things don’t go together. We’ve played a lot better than our record.”

Still, despite collecting 16 hits and six runs the Wahoos dropped their second straight game to the Jacksonville Suns Monday night, losing 8-6.

One could only wonder what would have happened, if not for a bizzare ruling by the umpire crew in the sixth inning.

Wahoos pinch hitter Juan Duran hit a rocket in the air that appeared to glance off pitcher Jay Rogers’ ankle and ricochet into Jacksonville third baseman Terrence Dayleg’s glove – never touching the ground. Dayleg threw Duran out at first to complete the play and Pensacola’s Jesse Winker scored from third, cutting the Jacksonville lead, 8-4. Third base umpire J.J. January ruled Penacola’s Ryan Wright safe at third and the play was dead.

But then the umpires reconvened and homeplate umpire Matt Pridemore, who was filling in for Jeremy Riggs who suffered a concussion Sunday from a foul ball off his mask, decided instead that Dayleg caught the ball in the air. So, he called Winker out after the Suns threw the ball to third base during the umpires’ discussion. The over turning of the call from a run scored and two out to a double play that took a Wahoos run off the scoreboard, ended the inning and stopping Pensacola from adding one run or more. Jacksonville remained ahead, 8-3.

DeShields was thrown out of the game for arguing the reversed call and threw his helmet on the ground in anger. He was still seething after the game and said he had never seen a call like it before.

“I don’t get real aggravated most of the time but I had had enough,” he explained. “It was a messed up play.”

DeShields argued the play was dead and the Pensacola runners should have been allowed to return to second and third base with two out.

Perez called the umpire’s over ruling “really weird.”

“That was a big situation for us,” said Perez, who scored two runs, doubled and knocked in a run. “If the ball goes through there two runs could have scored. I think we’ll be good at the end of the season.”

Perez said he is more confident than ever at bat and credits his coaches after his hot-hitting June.

“I’ve never felt like I’m feeling right now,” he said. “I’m very comfortable at home plate. When you work hard good things come out.”

The third game of the five-game series with Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-4, 2.63) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns LHP Justin Nicolino (7-2, 3.07).

by Tommy Thrall


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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports