Take a look at the photo above: it’s of Darin Ruf, the first baseman for the San Francisco Giants.
Without any context, would you call that a swing and a miss? My take: yeah, that’s a swing.
According to first-base umpire Ed Hickox, it was not.
And here’s the context: the Los Angeles Dodgers were up 3-2 with two outs in the ninth inning. That was a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. If it’s a swing and a miss on a Kenley Jansen throw, it’s game over and the Dodgers get a huge win as they chase the Giants in the tight NL West.
But it was called a check swing, Ruf walked to first and the game-tying run crossed the plate. The Giants then scored again and eventually won 5-3.
Let’s break it all down:
.jpg?w=600)
