DETROIT — There was no hypothetical man in the bleachers with binoculars causing controversy in the White Sox game against the Tigers on Friday at Comerica Park.
It was a hypothetical challenge that had everyone in a tizzy after a 2-1 Sox loss to the Tigers.
In the Sox’s first game against the Tigers since last September’s Chris Sale-Victor Martinez sign-stealing spat, Sox manager Robin Ventura was the one taking heat after deciding not to challenge a ruling that eventually resulted in the Tigers scoring the winning run in the ninth inning.
The Sox and Tigers went into the bottom of the ninth tied 1-1 when Nick Castellanos hit a low ball to right field that Avisail Garcia couldn’t grasp. As Castellanos headed toward second base, Garcia’s throw reached shortstop Alexei Ramirez in plenty of time, but umpire Brian O’Nora ruled Ramirez did not make the tag.
Ventura did not call for a review, even though some replays appeared to show Ramirez hitting Castellanos’ foot with his glove, and Tigers pinch-runner Andrew Romine scored the winning run on Jose Iglesias’ RBI single.
Ventura said the Sox video crew told him Castellanos was safe so he decided not to challenge. He returned to the field a second time, but at that point, the umpire ruled it was too late because the Tigers already had inserted their pinch runner, according to a Sox official.
“You have to go with what your guys are going with,” Ventura said. “You could just go out and challenge it anyway, but when you get a — ‘He missed him’ — you don’t challenge it. … You think about doing it anyway if you get a maybe. I didn’t even get a maybe.”
Ramirez said through a team interpreter he thought O’Nora was in the wrong spot to see the play and was surprised there was no review.
“We were in the ninth inning — you have to review the play,” Ramirez said. “Maybe they missed the play the first time on the video, but I am 100 percent I tagged him. If you are going to lose, you don’t want to lose in this way.”
Lost in the strange ending were the impressive outings from Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija and Tigers left-hander David Price, who each pitched eight innings, allowing just one home run apiece. Samardzija walked none, struck out seven and afterward said he also thought Ramirez made the play.
“Not my call,” Samardzija responded when asked if there should have been a review.
The game was otherwise rather well-played — and calm compared with the Sale outing Sept. 24, 2014, when he hit Martinez with a pitch. Martinez, who is 15-for-29 with three home runs and six RBIs all-time against Sale, stared the left-hander down and the teams cleared into the infield before retiring to the dugout without a fight.
Afterward, Martinez said Garcia told him about the sign-stealing suspicions, but Sale, who had made a binoculars sign in the dugout with his hands, denied that was the issue. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said it was “weak on Sale’s part.” Ventura responded the next day, saying Ausmus should worry about his own team.
Sale, who will pitch Saturday, declined comment Friday, but Ventura said before the game the Sox had moved on.
“We’re here to play baseball,” he said. “Everybody else can scare up whatever they want.”
No arrival date announced: While the Cubs called up top prospect Kris Bryant on Friday, Ventura is keeping quiet on a timetable for the top Sox prospect’s major-league debut.
Left-hander Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2014, started his second game with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, allowing three earned runs on six hits, with four strikeouts and two walks over five innings. He has a 3.60 ERA in two starts.
“I’m not going to (say) just because somebody else does something, we have to do something,” Ventura said. “Until you get a report and you have a need, we’re playing in Detroit today.”
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