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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Did Yandy Diaz swing?
The answer might depend on whether you were viewing the final pitch of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, Oct. 24 in Tampa Bay or Milwaukee.
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The only opinion that mattered, however, belonged to first base umpire James Hoye.
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In Hoye's view, Diaz swung. So it was that Aaron Ashby struck out Diaz to close out Milwaukee's 5-4 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
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Diaz threw his arms up in the air in disagreement. Depending on the viewer's angle, he might have had a case. As check-swing calls go, this one was borderline.
Of course, the official baseball rulebook doesn't define what constitutes a "check swing." The umpire has total discretion to render a decisive opinion. Hoye's call could not be challenged or reviewed; the first call is the final call.
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The best-of-seven series will pause on Sunday and resume on Monday. That will give fans in Tampa Bay most of the next 48 hours to rue what might have been.
Jonny DeLuca led off the top of the ninth inning with a double to right field. A ground ball sent him to third base with two outs.
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When Diaz checked his swing — or didn't — the tying run was stranded 90 feet away from home plate.
The timing of the umpire's call will compound the Rays' frustration. But their own miscues in the field did more to allow the Brewers to win than Hoye.
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Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda committed an error in the fourth inning that led to a run, when a routine ground ball got through his legs with a runner on third base.
Aranda also dropped a foul pop-up by William Contreras just in front of the protective netting behind first base. And in the sixth inning, a fly ball by Christian Yelich bounced off Chandler Simpson's glove in left field for a single.
That miscue didn't lead directly to a run, but it added to a long night for the American League champions, who now face a long flight home.
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