Mike Francesa rips MLB: Mets’ walk-off win was a joke | ‘Baseball is lost’ - NJ.com

The New York Mets won their home opener on Thursday, a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

But controversy shrouds the ending of the game.

Outfielder Michael Conforto drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth when he was hit by a pitch on the elbow with the bases loaded.

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Problem is, the pitch was a strike and Conforto should’ve been rung up. Per ESPN:

Home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa initially started to ring up Conforto with strike three and then changed his call mid-motion to say the pitch hit Conforto. The umpiring crew conferred on the call, but Kulpa’s decision stood. Under replay rules, a call on whether a pitch is in the strike zone when it touches a batter and whether the batter attempts to avoid getting hit is not reviewable.

As you might expect, the end result did not sit well with former WFAN host Mike Francesa, who shared his displeasure on Twitter.

How can the game end that way? Marlins got robbed. Baseball is lost as a sport. Rules and replay are ridiculous.

According to ESPN, “After the game, Kulpa, in the pool report, acknowledged he made the wrong call, saying, ‘That guy was hit by the pitch in the strike zone. I should have called him out.’”

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Mike Francesa rips MLB: Mets’ walk-off win was a joke | ‘Baseball is lost’ - NJ.com
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