"It was deflating" - Rockies' Ryan McMahon reflects on controversial fan interference potentially robbing walk-off home run
The Colorado Rockies edged past the Seattle Mariners in the first game of their Sunday doubleheader in extra innings. However, the game witnessed a controversial call after a fan interfered a play to rob Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings of a potential walk-off home run.
Rockies fans at Coors Field in Denver must have thought their team had sealed a thrilling win in the bottom of the ninth inning after Jacob Stallings took Mariners reliever Ryne Stanek deep for a left-field hit.
While Mariners outfielder Dylan Moore positioned himself near the wall to potentially rob a game-winning home run, a fan interfered by reaching out in an attempt to catch the ball. Stallings was awarded a double after the fan's intervention but the Rockies reviewed the ball believing it was a home run.
However, things worsened for the home team as the umpires believed that the fan interrupted Moore from making a catch and ruled out Stallings to send the game into extra innings. Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon gave a blunt response to the incident.
“It was deflating,” Ryan McMahon said of the controversial incident.
Rockies manager Bud Black shared his opinion on the incident and he felt that Stallings' hit looked like it was going over the wall for a walk-off home run.
“It looked like it went over the wall,” Bud Black said. “But in the rule, in the judgment of the umpiring crew in New York, they thought Moore might have had a chance to catch it if it wasn’t for the fan.”
Colorado Rockies revert to losing to concede series to Seattle Mariners
The Rockies' Jacob Stallings redeemed himself to an extent in the bottom of the 10th as the veteran catcher scored the game-tying run before Charlie Blackmon scored the game-winning single. Stallings admitted being bewildered during the controversial incident in the ninth.
“I was hoping for the best -- I thought it might have been a homer off the bat,” Stallings said. “I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I saw the ball come back on the field, so I just thought it hit the fence or something.”
The Rockies ended their six-game losing streak after a narrow win in the first game of the doubleheader. However, their joy was shortlived as the Seattle Mariners thumped the home team 10-2 in the following game to clinch the series.