Instant Replay Hits The Trop

Of course, the first use of instant replay in MLB history (in accordance with the new IR rules) involved the Yankees, and specifically, slugger Alex Rodriguez. Today, A-Rod hit a 9th inning homer (9th inning and with Abreu at 2nd base???? whaaat?) off of closer Troy Percival which was then disputed by Joe Maddon and the Rays (it looked like it might have hooked around the left field foul pole). After reviewing the play (it took about 3 minutes, give or take), the home run was upheld and the Yankees’ lead increased by 5 (8-to-3 until it was then 8-to-4 in the bottom of the 9th). The IR process was relatively painless and, in the end, they got the call right, so baseball purists can breathe easy.

While this was a big moment for baseball, for the Yankees, this was another big game and they played exceptionally well. A-Rod’s homer was more than “meaningless” since he took pressure off the Yankees bullpen and allowed Mariano Rivera to get even more rest (he hasn’t pitched since the 29th and will be well rested as the games get even more important). The bullpen was great, again, giving the Yanks 5 innings of work and allowing just 1 ER (via Jose Veras). You’ve got to commend Joe Girardi for pulling Carl Pavano at just the right moment, which gave Edwar Ramirez the chance to get out of the inning and to get the win. Now, we’ve won 2 in a row against the first place Rays.

Overall, it was a good day of baseball for the Yankees.

UPDATE – Cork from Rays Index brought to my attention that this is, in fact, the second time instant replay has been used in baseball, although this is the first “official” use of the technology. Umpire Frank Pulli used “raw” instant replay (e.g. a television feed near a dugout) to help clarify a call in 1999, in a game between the Marlins and the Cardinals. At the time, that ruling was frowned upon by the players and the MLB since there were no rules in place for IR. Strangely, the call involved Cliff Floyd (a Marlin), who was on hand for the MLB’s first official use of IR technology in last night’s game.