The Official REALLY did cost the team the game.

[bigzilla]

To say that he cost them the game on this call necessarily implies that all other calls he did or did not make the entire game were correct. And all of his partner's calls were correct too. In other words, prior to this call, they had a perfect game going. I don't think you can break down a game to saying this one call a ref made determined the outcome, because every call they made or did not make also determined the outcome. If he called a walk, and it wasn't, that team lost a chance to score. If he didn't call a walk that should have been called, that team had a chance to score that they shouldn't have. Saying this one call determined the outcome is the same as saying the guy who stikes out for the third out in the bottom of the ninth in a one run game determined the outcome of the game. He no more determined it than each of his teammates who did not get a hit.