MLB fans have mixed reaction to umpires' questionable out call on Brandon Drury: "People don't understand fundamentals"

Umpires have been the subject of scrutiny this MLB season and that continued Sunday in the Los Angeles Angels bout with the Cleveland Guardians. During the fifth inning, the Angels trailed by one run and Brandon Drury hit into what would have been a double play.

Thanks to an errant throw, he was safe at first and the umpires ruled that he made a turn towards second before thinking better of it and strolling back to first. Before he got there, he was tagged and ruled out by the first base umpire.

Turning into the field of play after running through first base means that a base runner is liable to being tagged out. If he enters the field of play, he is no longer safe. Drury appeared to do so and was called out for it.

Many MLB fans don't see a turn there. They believe the umpires made a really bad call and cost the Angels a baserunner in a close game.

Other fans are on the umpires side for once. They believe Drury made a move towards second and that he was, by rule, eligible to be tagged. Some fans think it was clear and others believe that even if it was ever so slight, the intention to move towards second means he can be tagged.

It's a tough call to make in the moment but it does appear to many fans that the umpire made the correct call here. Scrutiny comes on every umpire no matter what they do and this was a judgement call. Fortunately, many fans do think that was not a glaring mistake.

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Did umpires cost the Angels?

The Angels were cost a baserunner, but it was probably not because of a missed call on the part of the first base umpire. It was more so the fault of the Brandon Drury for making a mental error.

He likely thought he could get away with it after briefly considering a run to second, but the umps' eagle eyes caught it and ruled him out. It's always advisable to hustle back in these circumstances and not let the crew make a call.