Within minutes of Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy hitting his game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth inning of Saturday night’s exciting game between the Dodgers and Seattle Mariners at Safeco Park, Sports Illustrated, perhaps the world’s most well-known sports publication, posted on Twitter asking if the increasingly popular bat drop after hitting a no-doubter home run was “ruining the MLB.” No, seriously, they actually did.

Why Sports Illustrated would even post such a ridiculous thing is something that only the person running SI’s Twitter account can answer.

The post was in reference to Muncy’s signature bat drop, something that he has done after nearly every one of his team-leading 28 home run ever since his April 17 call-up to the Dodgers, after homering off of Mariners right-hander Edwin Diaz, MLB’s current saves leader.

The only explanation I can think of … two, actually is that SI is playing the sensationalism card over something as trivial as a bat drop in a game that has been around for 149 years to generate more clicks (as they say) out of sheer boredom. The second (and probably more realistic) reason is that like much of the world, they simply don’t like the Dodgers and never miss an opportunity to take a cheap shot at them, regardless of how stupid it may be … and make no mistake about it, this is about as stupid as it gets.

Munch drops his bat after hitting the game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth inning at Safeco Field off of All-Star closer Edwin Diaz. The question is, is Muncy’s and every other major leaguer who flips his bat after hitting a no-doubter really “ruining the MLB?” The obvious answer is of course not.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Ironically, historically even, and where Sports Illustrated should have gone with their lede on the Mariners eventual 5-4 win in the bottom of the 10th inning is that the game was won on a bases loaded walk off balk by Dodgers right-hander Dylan Floro, only the 22nd time that a balk-off (as they are referred to) has every occurred in the 149-year history of our national pastime. In fact, there have been more perfect games (23) in MLB history (23) than balk-offs.

But was it really a balk? According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, technically it was.

“It was close. It was borderline, but [first base umpire] Andy [Fletcher] got it right. There was a flinch,” Roberts told reporters after the game.

But Dodgers third base Justin Turner had a much different opinion of the call, right or otherwise:

“In that spot, bases loaded, one out … let the players handle it and determine the outcome,” said Turner. “That’s the worst part about tonight, it was decided by an umpire. There was nothing egregious about that. If anything, you can say the hands separated a half-second before he stepped off, but there’s no way the first-base umpire could see that from behind.”

Unfortunately, right or wrong, egregious or otherwise, a balk call is not reviewable since it is a judgement call, just like balls and strikes. And even if it were, that Dodgers had already used up their one allowed challenge after an earlier challenge by them had been overturned, thus giving them a second, which they lost.

But what’s perhaps even more ironic is that the loss because of Floro’s balk was charged to Dodgers left-hander Caleb Ferguson, who issued a leadoff walk to Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger in bottom of the 10th inning. Haniger would be forced out at second on a fielder’s choice by Mariners left fielder Cameron Maybin. Ferguson then gave up a one-out single to Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, causing Roberts to pull Ferguson and go with Floro for a righty-righty matchup against Mariners pinch-hitter Nelson Cruz.

Unfortunately, Floro walked Cruz on five pitches load the bases, which brought Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager to the plate. The elder Seager brother had already slugged a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning off of Dodgers starter Rich Hill. It was on an 0-1 count when Floro committed his balk, allowing Maybin to bring in the game-winning run walk-off run which, as noted, has now happened only 22 times in the history of the game.

…bat drops notwithstanding.