Umpires say this pitch hit Pete Alonso, a breakdown
What Happened
In the bottom of the first inning of a crucial matchup between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, first baseman Pete Alonso steps to the plate with runners on the corners. Facing hard-throwing Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks, Alonso digs in, ready to take on the 101 mph fastballs Hicks is known for. The first pitch is a high, inside fastball that Alonso fouls off. The next offering is also a heater, and the statistics show that Alonso has historically struggled against this type of pitch, with zero hits and several strikeouts in his career. Hicks is clearly trying to exploit this weakness. As the next pitch comes in, it appears to hit Alonso's hand or bat. The umpire immediately signals that Alonso has been hit by the pitch, awarding him first base. However, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol quickly challenges the call, believing the ball actually hit Alonso's bat and not his body. The replay shows the ball nicking the knob of Alonso's bat, and both broadcast teams agree that the umpire's initial call was incorrect. Despite this clear evidence, the umpires uphold the original decision, much to the dismay of the Cardinals players and coaches. "Fucking kidding me?" a frustrated Marmol says, unable to believe the call. "It's fucking bullshit. Unreal." Alonso, visibly upset, is forced to take his base despite knowing the ball did not hit him. The controversial play leads to some early runs for the Mets, and the Cardinals' dugout remains palpably agitated. Hicks, the Cardinals' pitcher, can't help but smile, seemingly amused by the umpires' decision. The umpire, sensing the tension, even playfully tosses the ball back to Hicks, further angering the Cardinals. This pivotal moment in the game has left both teams and the fans watching at home feeling frustrated and confused. The Mets have benefited from the umpires' call, but the Cardinals are rightfully outraged by what they believe to be a clear missed call. As the game continues, the lingering effects of this controversial play will undoubtedly shape the rest of the matchup between these two NL East rivals.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentPete Alonzo steps to the plate, bottom of the first inning, he's got runners on the corners,
he digs in, he looks up at Jordan Hicks and says, fastballs, let's do it. This one is brought to you
by DraftKings. First pitch of the at-bat, fastball inside, fouled away. Next pitch, fastball. And
here's some stats. Pete Alonzo crushes fastballs, has for his whole career. 555 slugging percentage
career against fastballs. But here's the caveat, fastballs up and in, he's never had a hit his
entire career on a fastball up and in. Zero hits, 19 foul balls, six put in play, three called
strikes. It's not just him though, the whole league kind of sucks at hitting 95 plus fastballs
up and in from a pitcher who throws from the same side of the plate as you. Look at that,
5% for a hit.
It's the perfect pitch if you can throw that hard. And Jordan Hicks can throw that hard.
He throws really hard. He's never given up a hit on an inside fastball this season. So it's the
perfect plan to do against Alonzo. And if you see a guy crush a 95 plus up and in fastball,
make sure you understand how hard and rare that is. So here comes the next one. And it is a little
too high.
A little too inside. Needs to go back to the tongue and bounce that thing a little and get
some more grip. Puts his saliva on his finger. Yachty calls for the fastball. Let's see if it
helps him locate it. He's going to try and hit that spot again. Way too high and inside. 101
miles per hour. That's scary. And the umpire says, that hits you, Pete. You may take first base. And
Pete says, all right, if you say so. Sounds good to me. St. Louis is on the phone. Challenge. Yep,
challenge that.
I don't think it hit him. That's what he gets told. So he goes and tells the head coach, who
looks around and says, all right, hey, who do I, where, where's the, where, we're going to
challenge that. And let's see, what do you guys think? Did that hit his hand or the bat? What do
you think it hit? Here it is in slower motion. And looks like the bat knob to me. Looks like it
hit the bat knob.
Both broadcasts agreed that it hit the bat knob. Here it is, black and white, super slow, super
close.
This umpire, they hear something. They look at each other and they're like, oh, uh, uh, uh.
After review, the call stands.
Fucking kidding me? They can't believe it. They're watching the same replay we watch? Bullshit.
Unreal. Pete Alonzo, he's sad. Look how sad he is. This is a guy who's saying,
I'm going to hit the bat. I'm going to hit the bat. I'm going to hit the bat. I'm going to hit the bat. I'm going to hit the bat.
Don't make me part of your lie.
I'm not. Oh.
Now I got to go
act like it hit me.
Because you guys got it wrong.
Jordan Hicks smiling about it.
And then I think the umpire, he asked for the ball
and I think the umpire throws it and he
just will go.
He's smiling, smiling.
I think the ump, smiling, smiling.
Ump surprises him with the ball and then
just like, okay, well, all right. I'm not joking
with you anymore. Cardinals manager still can't
believe it. Got to be fucking kidding.
Me. It's fucking bullshit.
Unreal.
What do you think? Did it hit him?
Did it clip his hand?
If you didn't
know what they called it on the field
and this was the only evidence you had,
which is what I say should happen, they
should not take the weight
of the call on the field. They should just
tell you what the replay says.
I think you'd say that hit bat
and not his hand.
I think, oh.
Think that hit knob. Surprised
they didn't overturn that one, as was
the Mets booth. They were shocked as well.
It led to some first inning runs
for the Mets and some
pissed off Cardinals players
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