Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce is facing another controversy, this time in Game 3 of the World Series Saturday, when he gave a rare obstruction call that gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
In the ninth inning, the Cardinals' Allen Craig appeared to be out at home trying to score after the ball got by third baseman Will Middlebrooks. But Joyce determined that Middlebrooks obstructed Craig at third and would have reached home safely if it wasn't for Middlebrooks, intentional or not.
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Joyce is known for blowing a call at first base with two outs in the ninth inning of the 2010 game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, denying Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.
Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg came to Joyce's defense. He said regardless of what happened three years ago, that should not be held against Joyce's critical call now.
"It was understandable. It was baseball," Rosenberg wrote. "The best players in the world will fail, but they also make amazing plays. Umpires do not have to make amazing plays. They just have to get the calls right. Three years after the low point of his professional life, Jim Joyce showed he has learned. This time, he was right."
Some Boston Red Sox fans and other observers took to Twitter to express their feelings on Joyce's call.
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