Umpire makes awful obstruction call, later confirms it originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
MLB umpires haven't had the best start to the 2021 season, and it continued Wednesday at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Miami Marlins second baseman Isan Diaz hit a weak ground ball to the right side of the infield, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Zack Godley came off the mound to field it and flip the ball to first for an easy out. It wasn't so easy, though.
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The first base umpire called obstruction on the play, meaning he thought Godley entered Diaz's running path and prevented him from getting to first before making the play.
The only problem here is Diaz was clearly running on the infield grass, taking himself out of the base path and removing any doubt of whether he had a right to his path. Even if Diaz running on the infield grass was legal, Godley still flipped the ball to first with plenty of space between him and the runner.
The play wasn't reviewable, the umpires got together to discuss the call and ultimately decided that the worst possible call was the right one.
This isn't the first egregiously incorrect call Major League umpires have missed this season. There was Alec Bohm being called safe at home despite never touching the plate against the Braves and then the Mets infamously winning a game on a walk-off hit-by-pitch that Michael Conforto leaned in to.
The Marlins ultimately scored a run on the play, making it another case of umpires giving runs to teams who didn't earn them.
