‘It was a strike’: Marlins rally, then lose to Mets on controversial walk-off hit by pitch
It was a few minutes after the game ended, after a controversial decision-sealing call was made, and Don Mattingly was still trying to fathom what had happened.
“It was a strike,” the Miami Marlins’ manager said, “and [home plate umpire Ron Kulpa] went to call it a strike. He didn’t get hit by a pitch. He got hit by a strike.
“If it’s a strike, how can it be a hit by pitch?”
But that’s how it was called.
Anthony Bass’ sixth pitch to New York Mets right fielder Michael Conforto with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, an 83.9 mph slider on the inner half of the strike zone that should have been a called Strike 3, grazed Conforto’s extended elbow. Kulpa was initially set to call the pitch strike. He then told Conforto to take his base. Luis Guillorme trotted home. The Mets defeated the Marlins 3-2 Thursday at Citi Field on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the Mets’ first home game of the 2021 season.
Mattingly convened at home plate with Kulpa after the game arguing the decision. The umpires convened to review the play to see if the ball hit Conforto. The call stood, although Kulpa admitted afterward it was the incorrect call.
“The guy was hit by the pitch in the strike zone,” Kulpa said in a pool report. “I should have called him out.”
When asked if there’s was anything that could be done to make it right for the Marlins, Kulpa replied: “That’s it. I mean, that’s the way it went down and there’s nothing more than that.”
According to the MLB definition of a hit by pitch, “Strikes supersede hit-by-pitches, meaning if the umpire rules that the pitch was in the strike zone or that the batter swung, the HBP is nullified.”
“I’m still kind of a little befuddled on what happened,” catcher Chad Wallach said. “I mean we know what happened. Called a strike and then called it a hit by pitch. On that part, we’re confused. I’ve never seen that before. Not really sure what else to say about it.”
“It’s just frustrating,” Mattingly added.
The moment, yes.
But also the bigger picture.
Miami is now 1-6 on the season, tied for the worst start through seven games in franchise history.
Mattingly, less than 12 hours after the team’s post-midnight arrival in New York for the three-game series, spent a good portion of his pregame interview session Thursday talking about momentum. The Marlins have failed to generate much of it during the first six games of the season, during which they dropped two of three games to the Tampa Bay Rays and were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals.
All it would take, Mattingly hoped, was one timely hit or one big moment for his team’s performance to turn around after a homestand to forget.
“Once that momentum turns,” Mattingly said, “guys just relax.”
There was a momentum swing Thursday.
Just not the one the Marlins wanted.
And it began five batters before the play that ultimately decided the game.
They saw their sixth-inning rally erased in the ninth first when Bass gave up a game-tying leadoff home run to Jeff McNeil. Bass missed the location on his sinker. McNeil responded by sending it to the upper deck of Citi Field’s right-field seats.
After that, the Mets (2-2) loaded the bases on a Guillorme pinch-hit single, Brandon Nimmo double and Francisco Lindor intentional walk to set the stage for Conforto’s controversial walk-off hit-by-pitch.
“There might’ve been a little lift to my elbow out of habit or reaction,” Conforto said, adding that he saw Kulpa was about to call the strikeout. “It barely skimmed the edge of my elbow guard.”
The Marlins entered that inning three outs away from snapping their three-game losing streak.
They took the lead in the sixth after finally stringing together multiple hits.
Jon Berti, who entered the game as a defensive replace in the fifth inning as part of a double switch, led off the inning with a first-pitch single to right-center field. Five pitches later, Corey Dickerson roped a double to the right-field wall. Berti scored from first. Dickerson moved to third base on a Starling Marte groundout and scored on a Jesus Aguilar groundball single through the right side of the infield.
The small-ball approach paid off after Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker and and a pair of solid plays from the Mets defense stymied the Marlins early. Brandon Nimmo robbed Brian Anderson of an extra-base hit in the second when he caught a fly ball on the warning track in right-center field while stumbling to the ground. Lindor also snatched a Marte line drive to end the fourth. Walker held Miami hitless until Brian Anderson flared a single to right with one out in the fifth and kept them off the scoreboard until the sixth-inning rally.
In the moment, it backed up Nick Neidert’s steady performance in his first career MLB start. Neidert, a 24-year-old righty ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Marlins’ organization by MLB Pipeline, held the Mets to just three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out three while giving up one earned run when Lindor scored on a Dominic Smith sacrifice fly in the fifth. Of his 85 pitches, 50 were strikes.
Ross Detwiler (1 2/3 innings), Richard Bleier (one inning), Yimi Garcia (one inning) and kept the lead intact before the ninth inning.
They’ll have to wait at least a couple more days for their next chance to get momentum on their side.
“It’s tough,” Dickerson said, “especially with the travel we had last night. We show up here on their opening day. Tough ballgame ... to lose at the end is always tough. Just gotta shake it off and come back the next day.”
Injury updates
Mattingly kept Jorge Alfaro out of the lineup Thursday as a precaution with the catcher dealing with left hamstring tightness. Wallach was behind the plate for a second consecutive game. The Marlins have an off day Friday before finishing their three-game series with the Mets on Saturday and Sunday. Mattingly hopes to have Alfaro back in the lineup for those two games.
“Just hopefully get him back to 100 percent,” Mattingly said.
On the rest of the injury front, Mattingly said starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez (right biceps tendon inflammation) is “feeling better every day” and that “basically any kind of stiffness in his shoulder has left.” He is expected to start playing catch on Friday.
Sixto Sanchez (right shoulder discomfort), meanwhile, is still in a waiting period. He hasn’t thrown in more than a week and once he does, it will be a slow rehab.
This and that
▪ The Marlins’ taxi squad for this two city road trip: pitchers Daniel Castano, Jordan Holloway and Shawn Morimando; catcher Sandy Leon; and infielder Jose Devers. With the Marlins in need of a fifth pitcher for their starting rotation, Castano is a contender to join the active roster for Sunday’s series finale against the Mets. Paul Campbell, currently being used as a long reliever, could also potentially get a spot start.
▪ After going 0 for 3 with a walk on Thursday, Adam Duvall now has just two hits in his first 21 at-bats of the season — a .095 batting average.
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 4:32 PM.
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