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Dodgers lost NLDS Game 3 despite umpire trying to hand them a win

By Adam Weinrib|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Blake Treinen #49 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after a strikeout against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning in game 3 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Blake Treinen #49 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after a strikeout against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning in game 3 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Home plate umpire Ted Barrett had a day so biased behind the plate in Game 3 of the NLDS you’d swear he counted against the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ luxury tax.

Our only question here: how did it not help?! Like, at all?

Once again, the San Francisco Giants seemed to get every wind-aided bounce on Monday night at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers’ hard-hit balls found gloves. The Giants barely hit anything that traveled moderately far and through the air … except for Evan Longoria’s home run, which was the difference in the exceedingly-tight ballgame.

The human element, though? That actually favored Los Angeles, and by quite a wide margin.

Check out the independent arbiter of all things umpiring, Umpire Scorecards, and peep the assignment they gave to Monday night’s home plate ump Ted Barrett.

The Dodgers should’ve benefitted more from the home plate umpire in Game 3.

Holy … hell. How did we not win this baseball game? Over a half-run’s worth of beneficial calls in a 1-0 baseball game? Literally, Ted Barrett got the Dodgers’ offense halfway there, and then the Dodgers offense said, “No thank you.”

Regardless of your rooting interest, this remains a fairly ironclad argument for robot umpiring, too. A sport has to have the “eye test” and the “human element,” sure, and that’s all lovely, but having a momentum-turning postseason game called with 88% accuracy, six percentage points below the season average, is unacceptable.

Barrett, at least, gets a higher mark for consistency, though, considering he was missing well off the exact same corner of the plate all day long. The Dodgers saw most of the benefit there, but not quite enough in the end.

Of course, no degree of umpiring can account for Brandon Crawford turning back the clock 10 damn years in the nick of time. Barrett couldn’t sand the topspin off Mookie Betts’ bat. It is what it is.

Game 4 is at home Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and it’s another absolute must-win for the Dodgers. Rumor has it the Ghost of Tommy Lasorda is handling duties behind the plate.

Unfortunately, he has no control over the swirling winds, either.

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