Joe Torre Admits Umpires Blew Home-Run Call Last Night

Joe Torre, MLB's VP of baseball operations, admitted today that the umpires did make the wrong call last night after they called Billy Butler's fly ball a home-run in the Kansas City Royals' 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees.

According to the New York Daily News, Torre-- the Yankees former manager-- looked at the controversial fly ball ruling and backed the Yankees claim that the ball never cleared the foot-high chain-link partition on top of the padded wall.  Torre said the hit should not have been called a home-run.

"It was a missed call, but there was also a misunderstanding on the rule," Torre explained.  "He just missed it but his interpretation was that the the back fence was behind the wall and out of the ballpark.  It certainly wasn't for a lack of doing his job, just a misunderstanding of the rule."

Let's get this straight.  Aren't the umpires supposed to know the rules?  It just seems logical that the men enforcing the rules-- including boundaries and what constitutes a home-run-- should be aware of each stadium's dimensions.

After second-base umpire Dana DeMuth  ruled that the fly ball cleared the fence, and the umpire crew spent five minutes reviewing the initial call, they still upheld the home-run call.

It was pretty obvious the ball didn't clear the fence because the ball bounced back onto the field where Brett Gardner scooped it up and put it back in play.

An irate Mariano Rivera knew it wasn't a home-run.  The KC broadcasters knew it.  In the Royals dugout, even Billy Butler had the look of a five year-old with the stolen cookie while the umpire crew reviewed the call.

Yankees first-base coach Mick Kelleher said the umpires knew it.  Before the game, Kelleher said the officiating crew explained that the ball had to clear the entire fence-- including the set back chain-link portion-- to be considered a home-run.

"It has to go over the padded bar," Kelleher was told.  "If that wasn't the case, there would be a yellow line."

Torre said DeMuth "feels very badly."

"He was wrong," said Torre.  "And there was a price to learn that lesson."

Torre stressed that the instant replay system didn't fail despite the muffed call.

"The game is over and that's what it is," Torre told the News.  "It's unfortunate.  Everyone had to cooperate to make it a one run game."

Girardi didn't file a protest after the ruling because he said he "believed the umpire" and figured "Dana knew the rules."  Now, that boat has long sailed and any correction is out of the question.

It's too late for the Yankees to take any sort of action to correct the costly error.  Girardi would have had to file a protest before the next pitch was thrown after the umpires made their final call last night to see any justice.

Yankees fans can blame the mistake on DeMuth's interpretation of the rules at Kauffman Stadium-- which had gone renovations in 2009-- but they should remember the image of Jorge Posada staring at a strike three with the bases loaded for the game's final out.

Mariano Rivera Loses It In Dugout Over Controversial Home Run

Yankees fans got to see a side of closer Mariano Rivera they've never seen in his 17-year Yankee career.  After a debated home run was allowed,  Rivera blew a gasket and had to be blocked from charging from the dugout.

At the center of the outburst  was a Kansas City Royals fly ball that hit the top of a fence and was ruled a home-run.  Rivera wasn't even on the mound and was watching the play from the Yankees clubhouse before he saw red.

It looked like Rivera got upset at the umpiring crew-- with good reason--  after they conferred on the controversial home-run, and opted not to overturn the call.  This was a side of the usually stoic Rivera that fans never see-- the emotional side.  If it was rare to see the always composed Rivera blow a couple of games last week it was even more unique  to watch the 41 year-old Rivera lose his cool for a couple of minutes last night.

Last week, fans saw the infrequent failures of Rivera in a few consecutive set-backs-- or blips as Manager Joe Girardi calls them-- in the closer's march to the Hall of Fame.

Rivera was tagged for a blown save, a loss and a scare in successive games in relief.  It had Yankees fans wondering if the reliable closer was slipping.  Through it all, Rivera never showed any emotion-- as is his usual modus operandi on the mound.

While the outburst may have been out of character for Rivera, his intensity was not.

 In the bottom of the third inning of the Yankees/ Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, Royals DH Billy Butler lofted a fly ball which bounced off the top of the padded wall in left-center but clearly didn't go over an eight-inch railing behind it.  Rightfielder Brett Gardner played the ball like it was a double.

After the initial call and protest by Girardi, second-base umpire Dana DeMuth  summoned the other umpires and reviewed the play.  Replays showed the ball hitting the top of the pad but bouncing off the fencing which connected the railing and wall-- which means the ball is still in play.

The umpires stuck by the initial ruling and gave Butler his 15th homer of the season and the Royals a 4-2 lead.  This prompted Girardi to approach the umpires again to no avail.  As the Yankees manager approached the dugout, Rivera could be seen being held back by coach Tony Pena and then Girardi himself.

The irate Rivera looked like he was ready to bolt through the dugout rail.  His laser like-glare alone could have cut the metal pipe.

Meanwhile, Butler grinned like he just got away with murder and paced in the Royals dugout waiting to see if he would have to take second base.

Butler's solo-shot would prove costly as Yankees starter, Bartolo Colon, was roughed up for five runs in five innings including the controversial home-run.

Alex Gordon tagged Colon for a three-run homer earlier in the third inning and the Yankees ended up losing 5-4 with the bases loaded and Jorge Posada called out looking.

Derek Jeter went 4-for-5 but was caught stealing right before Curtis Granderson smacked his 34th home-run in the first.

The Yankees still held a 1/2 game lead over the Boston Red Sox, who lost to the Tampa Bay Rays.

After the game, Girardi said he would not file a protest with the league.  DeMuth had no comment.