It’s no secret that the instant replay system in Major League Baseball is flawed, and Joe Maddon is the latest manager to speak out about it.
The Cubs skipper criticized the system Wednesday after Chris Denorfia was called out at second base to end their game against the Dodgers. It was a controversial ruling, as Denorfia seemed to get his hand on the bag just before being tagged.
See the play for yourself:
Maddon clearly disagreed with the call, and he didn’t hold back his thoughts on the matter.
“To say there was nothing definitive right there, I cannot disagree with more strongly,” he said via Chicago Tribune. “I have no idea why they would say that. It makes zero sense to me whatsoever. I’m just being honest, folks. It made no sense…. It just screams for an independent group there to really research the video. That’s what I think it screams, for as opposed to working umpires who are actually on the field. I think you should get a bunch of nerds back there who know how to look at a videotape, and then come to a conclusion. I think it would be more interesting that way.”
Yes, that’s a very strong take, but Maddon makes a fair point. The instant replay system in baseball has been proven wrong on several occasions, so why bother having it in the first place if the success rate is so low?
