Out but Not Out: Down 0-2.

Today's game was witnessed through a combo of Gameday during a meeting and the Fan 590 in my car. I don't know a lot about what is going on with this team other than they appear to be playing tight and/or have run out of pixie dust.

I will say that I hate that a stupid umpiring call ultimately decided a game like this. It was extremely well pitched by both sides. Stroman was fantastic today and the Texas bullpen was annoyingly good. It was a really tense game. I was very angry about it a few hours ago but I'm just kind of sad now. I'm not reading any columns by the mass of American writers about the series, nor am I watching any of the other playoff games tonight.

As for the call, I certainly hope it becomes an annoying anecdote in a much better story (like the non triple play call) rather than something that haunts disappointed fans for years.

Odor was out. I can see space. His toes are pointed away from the bag and no one's cleats are that long. Especially not on baseball shoes for turf, which have comparatively teeny spikes.

Here are New Balance baseball cleats on their website. Left are regular baseball cleats, right are cleats meant for turf.

Now, Odor's New Balance cleats are likely custom but I doubt his customization includes massive spikes which make it hard to grip on the turf when he's playing on it.

People are saying it was too close to call, but the thing about replay that I have never understood is why the people who look at the footage in New York have to consider the call on the field at all. Look at the play, decided what the call is. If it's different, it's overturned. This whole "is it enough to overturn?" is ridiculous.

I don't understand the "conclusive evidence" standard. Just get every call right.

— Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) October 9, 2015

Jose Bautista, never one to mince words:

Jose Bautista on the reviewed play at second base in the 14th inning #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/IiqLuZhczP

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) October 9, 2015

None of this mentions the strike zone of Vic Carpazza, which the Jays had plenty to say about post-game. Per Russell Martin to the Score:

Might I suggest this song:

It's a nice little Quebecois ditty that sings all best sacrés. 

"Ostie d’crisse de tabarnak
Ostie d’câlisse de viarge"

All of Quebec swears are liturgically based. The equivalent of this song in English is just the various ways of using the word "fuck."

The team also lost Brett Cecil from this epic game, likely for the season (long may it last) with what Gibbons describes as a significant calf tear. Which just adds to the melancholy of the results over the last few days. Cecil really turned it on the last half of the season and now Aaron Loup appears to be the go to LOOGY.

For the record, David Ortiz described Cecil this way:

David Ortiz llamó a Cecil “el mejor relevista zurdo en MLB”, fuera de ALDS por desgarre de pantorrilla https://t.co/tFQcsaNbyP

— Marly Rivera ~ ESPN (@MarlyRiveraESPN) October 9, 2015

Here is your Spanish baseball vocabulary for the day:

el mejor: the best
relevista: reliever
zurdo: left handed
pantorrilla: calf

I'm not ready for this season to end. I know post season baseball is heartbreaking for all but the team that wins, but this feels wrong. The players have acknowledged that Texas has outplayed them. They did not take it to the Yankees and storm back in the division to go out like this. They didn't score a hundred more runs than any other team to go out like this. This team is better than this.

Let's go win three.