Curtis Granderson turned and appealed to the plate umpire. Surely, this could not have been another strike.
Granderson’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series had been full of strikes, nothing but strikes. He had swung at nine pitches without putting a single one in play. He already had batted three times, struck out three times.
And, now, the umpire had ruled he had struck out again. Granderson could not believe it. He whirled around and pleaded that he had heard ball hit bat, no matter how glancing the blow.
The umpires huddled and agreed, despite a replay that clearly showed Granderson had swung over the ball, without making contact.