Giants season ends on brutal check swing call, a breakdown

Oct 15, 2021 1.6M views 6:31

What Happened

Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS between the Giants and Dodgers, the two best regular-season teams in baseball (107 and 106 wins), was tied 1-1 in the ninth at Oracle Park. The Dodgers scrambled ahead when Justin Turner was hit by a 100 mph fastball, moved up, and scored on a Cody Bellinger single. Max Scherzer came on for his first career save and got two quick outs. With two strikes on Wilmer Flores, first base umpire Gabe Morales ruled Flores went around on a check swing for strike three, ending the Giants' season on a call with no replay to overturn it.

Why This Matters

Check swings are among the least defined calls in baseball. There's no fixed standard for what counts as a swing, and unlike balls and strikes, the call is not reviewable. Morales admitted afterward he thought Flores went when he saw it live but acknowledged he lacked multiple camera angles, a near-confession that the replay told a different story. For a 107-win Giants team that beat the Dodgers all year, having the season decided on a borderline judgment call rather than a clean swing or a definitive pitch felt like a cruel way to go out. The aftermath fueled renewed calls for MLB to review check swings, though the rule never changed. Scherzer earning his first career save at age 37 to close it out only sharpened the sting in San Francisco.

At 1.6M views it ranks 156th of 1583 Jomboy breakdowns, landing in the top 10% of the catalog, fitting for a call that ended a 107-win season.

Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Gabe Morales, Max Scherzer, Trey Turner. Teams: Giants.

Key Terms Mentioned

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the giants and dodgers the two teams

that won the most games in the regular

season their seasons are on the line now

it's the fifth game of a best of five

series it's tied up one run a piece in