The Philadelphia Phillies stunned the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their NLDS showdown on Saturday night, and while Philly’s pitching was the primary reason for the win, the game wasn’t without some late-inning controversy.
With Atlanta trailing, 2-0, in the top of the eighth, Braves catcher Sean Murphy was called for catcher’s interference against Philly counterpart J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded, allowing a run to score. After review, the replay crew ruled that the interference stood, finding that there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overrule the call on the field. Here’s video of the play in question — it certainly sounds like Realmuto’s bat makes contact with Murphy’s glove, but you be the judge.
Phillies get a run when Braves catcher Sean Murphy is controversially called for catcher’s interference with the bases loaded.
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 8, 2023
J. T. Realmuto gets first base, while all other runners move up one bag. pic.twitter.com/oYZlxiuvWI
The replay ruling touched off some minor mayhem at Truist Park, as some Atlanta fans — undoubtedly frustrated after watching their record-setting offense get blanked for seven innings — threw debris on the field. The game was delayed for several minutes while the mess was cleaned up.
Braves fans throwing stuff on the field here in ATL pic.twitter.com/c4xSqVeGbE
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 8, 2023
You may recall that Atlanta have been here before: Braves fans threw so much trash on the field after a controversial infield fly rule call in the 2012 NL Wild Card Game that the team was nearly forced to forfeit. Saturday’s incident wasn’t nearly at that level, but manager Brian Snitker wasn’t pleased nonetheless.
“There’s no excuse for that,” Snitker said after the game. “I’ve been on that field when that’s happened and it’s scary because those water bottles when they come, they’re like grenades, and it could really seriously injure one of our players. That’s uncalled for.”
For what it’s worth, both Snitker and Murphy didn’t think the call was particularly egregious.
“All I had was the big board,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I looked and Murph didn’t say anything, and I don’t know that a hitter reacts like that. Things happen too quick for a guy to react like that if it didn’t happen, but I couldn’t tell off the video there.”
Murphy added: “I didn’t feel it, but I heard it.”
Again, it’s worth noting that the Braves didn’t lose because of a catcher’s interference call — that merely made the score 3-0 rather than 2-0, and Atlanta couldn’t muster a single run.
