On Wednesday, after the Angels played the final innings of their 7-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals under protest, Manager Mike Scioscia said he believed he was “100% correct” that umpire Phil Cuzzi had improperly interpreted a rule.
On Thursday, Major League Baseball executive Joe Torre denied the Angels’ protest. The statement announcing the decision did not include an explanation, but a person familiar with the decision said the protest could have been upheld had the league agreed that Cuzzi improperly applied a rule. Instead, Torre determined Cuzzi had made a judgment call, which cannot be grounds for a protest.