(Image Source:  Royals Blog)

BY TOM MARTIN

ANCHOR AUSTIN KIM

You're watching multisource sports video news analysis from Newsy.

The worst call ever? That's still a popular opinion after a 19-inning thriller between the Pirates and Braves this week, ended in controversy.  ROOT Sports has the call:

“And a ground ball to third, breaking for the plate, the throw and they got him … No! He called him safe. He called him safe! Unbelievable! Jerry Meals called him safe! The throw beat him by a mile. That is incredible!”

Home plate umpire Jerry Meals said at the time he wasn’t sure if Pirates catcher Mike McKenry had tagged Braves baserunner Julio Lugo. But after viewing replays, Meals said McKenry might have gotten Lugo after all.

Meals’ explanation didn’t sit well with the Pirates -- the loss could wind up costing them first place in a tight division race. The team filed a complaint with the commissioner’s office, and in a statement issued after the game, Pirates president Frank Coonelly did not hold back.

"While we cannot begin to understand how umpire Jerry Meals did not see the tag made by Michael McKenry three feet in front of home plate, we do not question the integrity of Mr. Meals … He got this one wrong.”

For baseball, mistakes are nothing new. In 2010, an incorrect call from umpire Jim Joyce robbed Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game. That now-famous folly sparked baseball’s million-dollar question:  Should umpires be allowed to review specific calls during a game?

After this latest episode, if you ask Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star -- no, they shouldn’t.

“Not surprisingly, there has been a push for more replay in baseball in the wake of that game, which started Tuesday night. That’s a bad idea … Think about how irate you are when an NFL review drags on forever. Even another five minutes added to a baseball game is too much.”

Baseball purists appreciate the game’s human element -- umpires will be umpires, calls will be calls. But there are those like Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan who argue in the end, it’s about getting it right.

“What the hell is Major League Baseball still doing without instant replay? … All of this technology, and baseball refuses to institute widespread replay. It might be the only thing in America dumber than the debt-ceiling fight.”

Baseball has said it would consider minimal expansion to its current replay system, which allows umpires to review home runs. But could Tuesday’s dispute embolden baseball to expand further? As Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan writes, not necessarily:

“If the Joyce call, which ruined Galarraga's chance at history and triggered national outrage—even from those who don't follow the game—didn't cause commissioner Bud Selig to change his mind about replay, this one isn't going to do the trick, either.”

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Transcript by Newsy.