Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell voiced strong disapproval of Major League Baseball's replay review system following a contentious call in the team's 3-2 defeat against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. The incident occurred in the ninth inning when Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner was attempting to steal second base while his team trailed by one run.
During the stolen base attempt, Hoerner's slide appeared to be impacted by Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson's positioning, which Counsell argued constituted illegal blocking of the base. Hoerner was called out on the play. When the Cubs challenged the call, Counsell stated that the review focused on whether Hoerner was tagged after coming off the bag, rather than on Henderson's alleged obstruction of second base.
"There is a clear blocking the bag there. It’s very clear," Counsell told reporters. "The reason why Nico came off the bag is because the player is blocking the bag and he has to adjust his slide." Counsell added that the review process did not address the blocking of the bag, which he felt was the primary cause for Hoerner coming off the base. "They don’t even look at the blocking of the bag when that’s what caused the player to come off, it’s kind of illogical that you don’t look at blocking the bag when it’s what caused the player to come off the bag. They can’t look at it. He did come off the bag and he was tagged, but he came off the bag because Henderson had his foot right in the sliding lane, which is illegal."
Counsell further criticized the review's reliance on the initial on-field call, noting, "New York is staring at it because [the umpire] didn’t call it on the field, they don’t call it. That makes no sense."
The Cubs were unable to tie the game after the controversial play, ultimately losing to the Orioles and missing out on a sweep of the three-game series. The defeat was sealed by subsequent outs from Dansby Swanson and Michael Conforto.