Julio Lugo Scores Game-Winning Run in 19th Inning on Terrible Blown Call By Umpire Jerry Meals

When it comes to bang-bang plays in baseball, controversial calls are a relatively common occurrence.

And then there's what happened in the 19th inning of the Braves-Pirates game early Wednesday morning.

The two teams were tied at three in the bottom of the inning when the Braves put together a golden scoring chance. With runners on second and third, one out and pitcher Scott Proctor at the plate, the Pirates brought the infield in to prevent a groundball from scoring a run.

For a moment, it looked as though they had done just that.

Proctor hit a grounder to Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, whose throw to home appeared to beat Braves infielder Julio Lugo by several strides.

But home plate umpire Jerry Meals surprised everyone — from players and coaches to the dozen or so remaining fans — by making the "safe" sign.

Maybe Meals just wanted to get home before sunrise, or maybe he was just tired after six and a half hours of calling balls and strikes. Whatever the reason, every replay shows he got the call wrong.

With the loss, the Pirates dropped to a full game back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the tightly contested NL Central race.

Check out the controversial play here, courtesy of MLB.com.