Mariners lose on 3 ball walk..

[Upton]

In a scoreless game, rookie Cameron Maybin walked in the fifth inning, took second on a ground ball and scored the only run of the night on an Alberto Gonzalez single. The kicker? Maybin shouldn't have reached first base - plate umpire Phil Cuzzi allowed him to 'walk' on ball three. The Mariners didn't catch the mistake. The rest of the umpiring crew didn't catch it - and Seattle had only until the next pitch to call attention to the mistake.

Here's the explanation from crew chief Tom Hallion:

"(Mayin) fouled off two or three pitches, there was a ball in the dirt that got away from the catcher and we went through each pitch and you are right, it was three balls and he took off for first base,” Hallion said. “My plate umpire thought his count was wrong. The scoreboard had 3-2 and he thought he was wrong because when Maybin took off for first, nobody said anything. The catcher didn't react, the dugout didn't react so he thought he had the wrong count. “Do we feel bad? Absolutely. We count the pitches and it was just one of those things that gets away with you with the scoreboard having the 3-2 count up there and then nothing being said by anybody, he thought he had the wrong count."

So Cuzzi had the right count on his hand indicator, but didn’t stop Maybin when he started for first base?

“It happens a lot of times in the game you look down and it says '2-2' and a lot of times what you'll do is 'Josh (Bard), what (have) you got' just trying to make sure you're right. Unfortunately we didn't do this in this case and that's where we stand with it. It's one of those things that you wish didn't happen,” Hallion said.

Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners/2011/07/02/one-pitch-beat-fister-who-didnt-throw-it/#ixzz1R2rXNSaR

You can count keep track of the count here and see that Maybin did indeed walk on 3 balls: http://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/doug-fister-just-cant-catch-a-break-mariners-pitcher-loses-on-three-ball-walk/

And of course that 3 ball walk came around to score the only run in a 1-0 Padre victory. Not much excuse for this happening. I don't understand where Mariners manager Eric Wedge was either...I mean, isn't he or anybody in the Mariners dugout paying attention to the game?

[TZ]

1. Yeah that's strange

I was watching highlights from some game recently ( can't remember which ATM) where some batter had 4 balls and was not walked- ended up striking out. I don't understand how this happens.

[Auggie]

2. I agree Upton... Mariners coaching screwed up too.

Who was charting pitches, BTW?

Eric Wedge: way overrrated. Cost the Tribe a trip to the World Series in 2007, IMO.