Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell agrees with Major League Baseball.
MLB on Wednesday changed the official scoring on David Ortiz’s controversial blooper in the seventh inning of the Red Sox’s 8-0 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The play was changed from en error — which kept Rangers starter Yu Darvish’s no-hitter intact until Ortiz’s ninth-inning hit — to a single, which Farrell gave his stamp of approval before Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
“I think it was a hit in the moment,” Farrell told reporters Wednesday in Minnesota. “Upon further review, obviously, they change it. I think in the end, the right call has been made.”
The controversial play involved a blooper that dropped between Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor and right fielder Alex Rios. Official scorer Steve Weller ruled the play an error on Rios despite neither player touching the ball, and Ortiz vehemently disagreed, prompting the nine-time All-Star to file an appeal that ultimately led to Wednesday’s overturned call.
In the grand scheme of things, Wednesday’s reversal doesn’t mean much because Ortiz took it upon himself to end Darvish’s no-hit bid in his following at-bat. It’s still worth mentioning, though, because the whole situation created quite the debate.
