Yankees May Get Do-Over After Latest Debacle

Umpires may have interpreted rules incorrectly

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 8:36 AM EDT, Mon, Jun 22, 2009

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The Yankees lost 6-5 to the Marlins on Sunday evening, their eighth loss in 12 games, but they may get a chance to change that result. Joe Girardi played the final two innings under protest after an apparent mistake by the Marlins went unpunished by the umpires.

It's a good thing that Girardi used to manage the Marlins, because situations like this don't come up in the American League. The Marlins pinch-hit Alejandro De Aza for the pitcher in the bottom of the seventh inning and intended to leave him in the game, batting ninth and playing left field, while Leo Nunez came in to pitch and bat leadoff. That meant Chris Coghlan was out of the game, but when the eighth inning started he was in left.

After one pitch, Girardi pointed out the error and the umpires ruled that both Coghlan and De Aza were ineligible to remain in the game. The Marlins inserted a new left fielder, Jeremy Hermida, who batted ninth. Girardi though Nunez should have been forced out of the game as well. The league will review the incident, and if the umpires made a mistake the game will be replayed from that point.

It was a 6-3 Marlins lead at that point, and the replay may mean that Brett Gardner doesn't triple in two runs and the Yankees lose by a larger margin. With the way his team is going right now, though, it makes sense that Girardi would try anything possible to get a chance to win a game. If they get a decent start on the mound, they don't hit or the bullpen implodes. More often than not in the last two weeks, though, they aren't doing much of anything well.

If not for defensive lapses by the Mets and Nationals, the Yankees could easily be losers of 10 of their last 12 and, perhaps, behind the Rays and/or Blue Jays in addition to the Red Sox. At some point, they'll actually have to start winning games on their own, and not relying on mistakes from opposing defenses or umpires.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.