On Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost in a battle of National League powerhouses as they were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-4. The loss did not unfold without a bit of controversy, though.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Dodgers were up by one run and the Phillies had a man on second. Brandon Marsh tried to bunt the runner over to third, but L.A. third baseman Enrique Hernandez was all over it and quickly threw the ball to shortstop Miguel Rojas. Rojas, sprinting to cover the base, tagged Alec Bohm out with a few feet to spare.
But umpire Hunter Wendelstadt immediately waved off the apparent out and called defensive interference on Rojas for allegedly blocking the base. The Dodgers were in an uproar instantly as Rojas pled his case. Manager Dave Roberts came out to speak to the umpire himself and eventually blew up, earning himself an ejection.
And in fairness, it was a very questionable call.
Dave Roberts was PISSED over this defensive interference call and he's been ejected pic.twitter.com/WoeheeeBa0
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 8, 2024
It does sort of seem like a letter of the law vs. spirit of the law thing. Did Rojas' leg obstruct Bohm's slide? Yes, but because Rojas was running over from short, not because he was on the base trying to prevent Bohm from touching safely. And even if Rojas' leg wasn't in the way Bohm was out regardless.
The umpire did not see it that way. After Roberts was tossed, the Phillies would score five runs that inning and eventually go on to win. The Dodgers manager was very displeased with this turn of events and blasted the call to reporters afterward.
""He got it wrong," Roberts said. "That's just a fact. Umpiring is hard. They do a great job. Tonight, that play affected the game."
Rojas was even more strenuous in his objections to Wendelstadt's ruling, accusing the umpire of "looking to be a hero."
"I think this guy has seen this play a million times," The shortstop said. "And he just wanted some part of, I don't know, part of a moment in the game. It's really sad that it changed the whole context of the game for us, especially the way that we're playing right now, trying to win games. It's unfortunate that an umpire can change the narrative of a game and a series."
The loss meant Philly took two of three games in the team's trip to Los Angeles. The Dodgers next take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game homestand beginning on Friday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Blast Umpire Hunter Wendelstadt Over Interference Call in Phillies Loss .
