BALTIMORE — Melvin Upton Jr. teed off on an 0-2 fastball, watched the resulting drive fly over the left-field foul pole at Oriole Park, high-fived first base coach Tarrik Brock and halted abruptly after he rounded the bag. To his surprise, third base umpire Chris Conroy had ruled the blast a foul ball. For a moment, confusion reigned. Home plate umpire Jerry Meals initiated a crew chief review. Upton resumed his trot following a potential two-run homer.
Seconds later, the call was confirmed. Still in disbelief, Upton returned to the batter's box and promptly struck out on a foul tip.