“Without possession of the baseball, he cannot be in front of the plate” - Carlos Mendoza weighs in on controversial home plate collision 

The game between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night ended controversially. After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expressed his frustration over the game-ending call that saw Pete Alonso tagged out at home plate.

Mendoza’s argument centered on the interpretation of a very important rule regarding where the catcher should stand when they don’t have possession of the ball.

In a postgame interview, Mendoza clarified his dispute with the umpires:

"It’s one of those that they send out a memo during spring training. What’s legal and what’s illegal. And it’s clear in that email that we got that catchers are not allowed to have their foot in front or on top of the plate without possession of the ball."

Mendoza contended that Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya’s positioning violated this rule. According to Mendoza, Amaya’s foot was on top of the plate when he received the relay throw, yet he did not have control of the ball at that moment.

This alleged infraction led to Alonso being tagged out as he attempted to score on a sacrifice fly that would have tied the game. The New York Mets eventually lost to the Cubs by a 1-0 score.

“Without possession of the baseball, he [the catcher] cannot be in front of the plate,” Mendoza reflected after the game.

A different call would have sent the New York Mets to extra innings, giving them a chance to win the game.

The controversial call caused a heated argument from Mendoza, who was visibly upset with the umpires’ ruling even after a lengthy review of the play. Crew chief, Chad Fairchild, stood by the call, asserting that Amaya’s initial setup was legal and that he moved into the path of Pete Alonso based on the trajectory of the throw.

Major League Baseball’s video center upheld the call despite Mendoza’s arguments, stating that there was no clear violation of the Home Plate Collision Rule and that Alonso did not reach home plate before being tagged, leaving Mets fans and players frustrated with this controversial ending, which could have sent the game to extra innings.