Los Angeles Dodgers At the start of Game 3 of the World Series, there was a lot to cheer about against the opposing team. New York Yankees But not every moment went the way they wanted. In the top of the fourth inning, fans were outraged when the replay review confirmed a close call at the plate.

Tommy Edman punted in hopes of bringing home Gavin Lux, but the umpires ruled that Yankees catcher Jose Trevino dropped the title in time. Dave Roberts immediately called for a reconsideration.

The game looked very close. Lux’s hand appeared to be moving toward the plate, but the camera angles weren’t exactly precise.

The Dodgers clearly thought Lux had made it in his time. Online fans were outraged when the call was accepted. Even Jose Canseco agreed.

Are Dodgers fans and the media right? Did the UMPs get it wrong? It’s complicated.

There appears to be a fundamental misreading of the catcher interference rule. At work relevant passage of the rule From MLB.com:

“The catcher is not allowed to block the runner’s path to the plate unless he has possession of the ball. If the umpire determines that the catcher violated this rule, the runner may be ruled safe.”

Claims that Trevino was guilty of interference are false because the ball was in his glove when he dropped his knee and blocked the plate. He is allowed to do this.

More convincing is the claim that Lux has already made this label. According to me Lux put his hand to the plate before Trevino’s tag reached him; This was done by looking at where his hand was relative to Trevino’s glove when we lost sight of the plate. However, I understand how the replay center would prefer not to roll over. There didn’t seem to be an angle on the plate that unmistakably showed Lux’s hand.

Different eyes may come to different conclusions on this matter. But maybe Dave Roberts could have avoided all of this if he didn’t have Tommy Edman in this situation.