The Cubs and star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were left fuming Wednesday after umpires missed a pivotal balk call in what ended up being a 2-0 Chicago loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
Crow-Armstrong, the National League MVP favorite, led off the sixth inning with a double and moved to third with one out.
After another out was recorded, controversy ensued.
Crow-Armstrong moved way down the third-base line as if he was stealing home, and Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez threw a quick pitch, forcing him back. Crow-Armstrong was adamant Rodriguez balked and had to be restrained by third-base coach Quintin Berry after the umpiring crew huddled up and decided Rodriguez did not balk.
Nico Hoerner then struck out to end the frame.
After the game, crew chief Alfonso Márquez confirmed that the balk call, which was not reviewable, was missed.
"We just didn't see it," he said. "After looking at the video, it looked like [Rodriguez] stepped off."
That was little solace to Crow-Armstrong, who continued to fume after the game.
"I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play," he told reporters. "They're out there every day, just like we are. Their one job is to get calls right, and if they get it wrong, they're supposed to talk about it, figure it out and get it right. And they didn't."
If the balk was called, the Cubs would have taken a 1-0 lead. Instead, Arizona plated a run in the bottom of the frame. It tacked another on in the eighth, backing a nine-strikeout, two-hit, seven-inning gem from Rodriguez in the series finale between NL wild-card hopefuls.
"They flat-out missed it," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of all four umpires. "It's obvious to everybody on TV. It's obvious to anybody. They missed it."
