Wynton Bernanrd – Midwest League MVP – went 2-for-4 in Game 1 for the Whitecaps. Pit file photo
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Fort Wayne TinCaps took Game 1 of the quarterfinal first round of the Midwest League playoffs against the West Michigan Whitecaps thanks to a blown call in the eighth.
The game was tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth when a questionable call put the TinCaps in front. With a bases loaded, nobody out situation, the Whitecaps’ infield was playing halfway when Josh VanMeter shot a 1-2 pitch to the left side of the infield.
Shortstop Domingo Leyba lunged to his left but collided with baserunner Ryan Miller, allowing the ball to skip to left center. Fort Wayne scored two runs on the play, giving Fort Wayne a 7-5 advantage. The call in question has to do with contact made between Leyba and Miller.
Rule 7.09(j) in the 2014 edition of the Official Baseball Rules states: “It is interference by a batter or runner when he fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball.”
Andrew Graham argued the call but base umpire Dave Attridge refused to overrule the play. Instead of a dangerous bases loaded with one out situation, the Whitecaps faced a two-run deficit with their backs against the wall. With runners at first and second with no outs, reliever Julio Felix came in to work out of the jam.
The Whitecaps went down without a peep in the ninth, giving the game to the TinCaps. Raph Rhymes earned a leadoff single but the following three batters went down in order.
West Michigan led 5-2 at one point, but the Fort Wayne bullpen worked 4.2 innings of shutout work while their offense rallied. Nick
Mutz took over in the fifth and threw 1.2 perfect frames, Jason Jester (1-0) earned the win with two shutout innings, and Ryan Butler (1) worked the ninth for the save.
The Whitecaps were behind 2-1 before a pair of home runs in the fifth set them up for what seemed like a win. Domingo Lebya blasted a game-tying solo homer to the right field only to be followed by Midwest League MVP Wynton Bernard belting a three-run home run to right field.
Bernard’s homer was part of a 2-for-4 night that included a stolen base and two runs scored.
Fort Wayne, who boast the league’s top-rated offense, battled back. An error and a two-out RBI-single by Fernando Perez trimmed the deficit to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth. An inning later, Nick Schulz evened things up with a game-tying single.
Detroit Tigers reliever Luke Putkonen (0-1), who made his third and final rehab appearance with West Michigan, threw a scoreless seventh inning but ran into trouble in the eighth to ultimately take the loss.
West Michigan (0-1, 82-58) will host Fort Wayne (1-0, 63-76) tonight in the second game of the best-of-three series at Fifth Third Ballpark. Kevin Ziomek (10-6, 2.27 ERA) will start against RHP Cody Hebner (2-5, 4.64 ERA). First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET.
