DUNEDIN, Fla. — There was a long delay. A long review. And a long walk to the clubhouse.
For a game that was decided rather quickly, the Toronto Blue Jays scoring the first 10 runs en route to a 15-1 win over the Angels on Saturday night, it sure took a long time to get there.
First, there was the rain, a typical Floridian evening thunderstorm that pushed back first pitch by more than 21/2 hours.
Then came the review, a second-inning fielder’s choice that required exactly 10 minutes and two separate trips to the headset by the umpires to straighten out.
With Blue Jays runners at first and second in what was still a scoreless game, the Angels (6-3) tried turning a double play on a grounder to first. But after Angels shortstop Jose Iglesias received the ball at second, he was contacted by trailing baserunner Jonathan Davis’ wide slide, causing his throw back to first to sail into foul territory.
As Santiago Espinal, who began the play at second, came around to score, Angels players immediately appealed for obstruction against Davis. But the video review instead determined that Iglesias had caught the ball after his foot came off second base, negating the lead out. The review also ruled that Davis’ slide, while clearly wide, was legal.
So, instead of a potential double play where no one scored, Iglesias was charged with two errors (for missing the bag and for his errant throw) and the Blue Jays (4-5) had runners at first and second with no outs and a one-run lead.
From there, Angels starter Jose Quintana came unraveled, permitting five of the next seven batters to reach base in what became a seven-run inning (only five were earned). He was then relieved by Jaime Barria, who was also ineffective in a 1 2/3-inning, seven-run outing.
After the Angels lost a challenge the next half-inning, manager Joe Maddon was ejected for arguing with the umpires that the review was completed too quickly. To get back to the clubhouse, he embarked on a long, slow walk to the exit tunnel, 100 feet up the third base line.
