"If they had a device... We would get so many calls" - Twins' Carlos Correa vouches for umpire PitchCom for better judgment
The Minnesota Twins lost a tough game to the Cleveland Guardians by one run on Friday. After the game, Twins shortstop Carlos Correa spoke out about some calls made by the umpires during the game that he disagreed with.
"I feel like if the umpires knew what was coming and they had a Pitchcom (communication device), they would make calls so much better," Correa said postgame (per ESPN).
The pitchcom is a communication system device that is generally used by pitchers, catchers and coaches. It allows them to send signals about what pitch should be thrown without having to use physical hand signals that the opposing team could easily pick up on.
Correa feels that if the umpires were able to hear the pitchcom audio and know exactly what pitch was about to be thrown, then they would have made more accurate calls on whether the pitches made were balls or strikes.
In Friday’s game, there was also an instance of a rare rule violation.
"If they had a device where it says slider, and they are anticipating the slider and they know where it has to start and land for it to be a strike, then we would get so many calls," Correa added.
Correa had implied that on a couple of occasions Friday night, the umpires made incorrect calls because they did not know what pitch was actually coming. One such case was in the eighth inning, when umpire Roberto Ortiz called off two pitches from Jhoan Duran, saving Jose Ramirez from striking out.
However, in the sixth inning, Correa was called for a shift violation after he ran to field a grounder by Ramirez in the left field. This was the first shift violation in MLB this season. This, in turn, gave advantage to the Guardians and Ramirez eventually hit a home run.
This season, Correa has an on-base percentage of .263. He has hit two home runs and has 10 RBI's. Correa's comment may have been a lighthearted suggestion in the heat of the moment, but it's sparked a conversation about how to improve umpiring in the MLB.
Minnesota Twins manager also frustrated with the Umpire’s calls
The Minnesota Twins faced a tough night on Friday, not just because of the opponent, but also due to calls made by the umpires. According to reports, several key calls went against the Twins, raising the ire of manager Rocco Baldelli.
"There was some stuff going on today," he said.
"We can say they're close pitches. They're strikes. Am I wrong about that based on anything objective that we have to look at?" said Baldelli postgame.
According to the manager, the umpires had made many false calls that cost them the game. Cleveland’s All-Star player, Jose Ramirez was saved from being struck out. He ended up hitting a home run in the eighth inning.
The Minnesota Twins were defeated by the Cleveland Guardians 3-2.