Major League Baseball

CC does something for everyone in Game 4 gem

Published Oct. 21, 2009 5:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

At evening's end, crew chief Tim McClelland appeared at the interview podium: Humbled, chagrined, embarrassed and every bit a standup guy.

downlevel descriptionThis video requires the Adobe Flash Player. Download a free version of the player.

Arrogance is an occupational hazard for umpires. And McClelland was now being forced to confront his in the most brutally public of ways. Suddenly, he was like a ballplayer, alone before a squadron of inquisitors who wanted him to explain what might just be the most blatantly blown call in the history of postseason baseball.

In the top of the fifth, Nick Swisher bounced to the pitcher with the Yankees' Jorge Posada at third. Posada was caught in a run-down that ended, somewhat fantastically, with catcher Mike Napoli tagging both Posada and Robinson Cano near third. Neither man was on the bag. Little League stuff. Yet McClelland — the third base ump who witnessed this all at a distance of a few feet — inexplicably called Posada out, but Cano safe.

"I thought Cano was on the base," said McClelland.

The replays showed that, for one blinding moment, the veteran umpire — working American league games since 1983 — did not believe what his own eyes saw.

"It showed that Cano was off the bag when he was tagged," said McClelland. "I did not see that for whatever reason ... I'm just out there trying to do my job and do it the best I can. And unfortunately, there was, by instant replay, two missed calls."

Oh, yeah. Earlier, he had called out Swisher for leaving for home too soon on a fly ball. Wrong again, but at least that one was within the realm of normal human error. Actually, it seemed all too human — a make-up for the previous play, when Swisher should've been called out on a pick-off.

Still, making that short but painful statement was the best thing that McClelland could've done — for himself and the game.

And guess what? The Yankees returned the favor, with CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez conspiring to save McClelland and his crew from eternal mortification. The margin and the manner of this victory — 10-1, a complete crushing — made the umpiring moot.