Chicago Cubs, Crow-Armstrong still raging after missed balk call

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong showed his fiery side Wednesday afternoon after a missed balk call stopped him from coming home from third base and cost the Cubs a crucial run in what was a 0-0 game at the time.

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was lights out, taking a shutout into the sixth inning against a stymied Cubs team, but the Cubs had a real chance to bring home a tie-breaking run with Crow-Armstrong on third.

A fake break home from the Cubs star seemed to distract Rodriguez, who stepped off the rubber mid-wind-up in a clear and obvious balk.

But a balk wasn’t called.

Crow-Armstrong goes ballistic

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The non-call sent the Cubs into a frenzy with Crow-Armstrong charging at the umps and third base coach Quintin Berry having to hold him back. Manager Craig Counsell also rushed on to the field to make the case for the balk, to no avail.

“They flat-out missed it,” Counsell said. “It’s obvious to everybody on TV. It’s obvious to anybody. They missed it.”

After the game, crew chief Alfonso Marquez admitted to the mistake.

“We just didn’t see it,” Marquez told reporters. “After looking at the video, it looked like he stepped off.”

Rodriguez clearly did step off and the missed call seemed to change the dynamic of the game. In the bottom half of the sixth, the Diamondbacks scored a run to go ahead 1-0 and then added an insurance run in the eighth on the 2-0 loss for Chicago.

PCA had plenty to say

After the game, Crow-Armstrong still had plenty to say:

“I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play. They’re out there every day just like we are. Their one job is to get calls right, and if they get it wrong, they’re supposed to talk about it, figure it out, and get it right. And they didn’t ….

I get it from [the home plate umpire’s] point of view at home plate. Tough to see with two people standing in front of you, and all you’re trying to do is call the right pitch. But I don’t know how you miss somebody starting their motion, then stopping it and stepping off ….

I think you guys just saw my frustration from the last three days come out. And I’m going to stick by it and say rightfully so, because I didn’t appreciate the other umpire coming up to me after Q had already calmed the situation down.

It’s just – I think they find new ways to screw something up every day. So there you go.”

It was a frustrating turn of events in a frustrating loss that capped off a similarly frustrating two-game skid for the Cubs, who now find themselves in a real fight to keep their top NL Wild Card spot from the surging Philadelphia Phillies. There are now only two games separating the teams.

Debate has been stirred regarding whether balk calls should be reviewable. And when seeing an obviously botched call of a crucial play in the midst of a pennant race, like on Wednesday, it’s hard to make the case against it.

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