Did he Touch the plate?

[Kaliix]

From the previously posted article in USA Today "Michael Barrett stuck out his leg, but he didn't have it planted in the ground," McClelland said. "What I saw was Holliday kind of slide through that leg and TOUCH THE PLATE." (emphasis added)

Tim says he saw the runner touch the plate. I've watched the replay 20 times. It doesn't show that Holliday touched the plate. It doesn't show that Holliday missed the plate. It shows neither because every replay that I've seen is blocked at the key moment where one could tell if home was touched or not. The replay is inconclusive.

McClelland didn't signal because there was no tag attempt when the runner touched the plate. I've always read here that you don't signal if there is no play. When Barrett finally got the ball and went to go tag Holliday, McClelland signaled safe to indicate he had seen the touch and a tag was irrelevant at that point.

McClelland's timing has always been on the slow side. He was probably replaying the play in his mind and taking his time like I hear most people hear recommend that you do. I do agree though that a quicker safe signal after he saw the touch would likely have put this whole thing to bed, at least for us umpires.

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

This is because you just want to blindly support the umpire like a sniffer and never say one word against any MLB umpire under any circumstances.

If you can show me where the runner actually touched the plate (he didn't), then I will buy this argument. I have seen replay after replay from every camera angle and not one has CONCLUSIVELY, 100% shown me that the runner touched the plate. That is what is required for a runner to be safe. A touch of the plate.

The umpire has to actually see the runner touch the plate or assume that he did not. McClelland has never once ever said "I saw Holliday touch the plate." He does not come out and say this for one reason: He never saw Holliday touch the plate. The replays don't have to prove that Holliday didn't touch the plate. The umpire is supposed to be watching the touch of the plate. That's why he gets paid the big bucks. If I hear one time where McClelland comes out and says definitively that Holliday touched the plate, then I'll be happy to drop the subject. But he won't, because he can't.

Sure, the ball ended up on the ground. But Barrett picked it up and tagged the runner, who had yet to touch the plate. The on-deck hitter yelled at Holliday to go back and touch the plate, so it looked to him like he never touched the plate.

Barrett and Black and everyone else is not going to publicly say anything against McClelland's call. Of course not. They have to play again next year. Do ya think they want to have an umpire pissed at them every time they see him? They're not going to say sh!t about the call. "Good call, Tim." That's the "official" response from the Padres.

Again, McClelland's call did not cost the Padres the Wild Card. They had plenty of opportunities to wrap it up long before the Monday one-game playoff. That game should not have even been necessary. The Padres fans with any intelligence are blaming the Padres, not the umpire.