MLB Network analyst says umpires blew it with home-run call against the Royals

It’s been a bad few days for video reviews in Kansas City.

The U.S. men’s national team was on the wrong end of a video assist review that incorrectly allowed Uruguay’s goal Monday night in a Copa America match at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Across the Truman Sports Complex, there was another egregious error, this one in the Royals’ 7-2 loss to the Guardians. Cleveland took the lead on Jhonkensy Noel’s two-run homer that was a foul ball.

Major League Baseball made the cowardly decision this year to no longer allow its MLB Replay decisions on X to be embedded in stories. But this was the official explanation: “Crew Chief reviews call that Jhonkensy Noel hit a home run; call stands, could not definitively determine that the ball failed to contact the foul pole, it is a home run.”

Uh, no it wasn’t. And two members of the MLB Network said as much Monday.

While discussing the Royals taking three of four from Cleveland, Mark DeRosa said: “(Noel’s) homer was foul on Saturday. I don’t understand how that ball was called fair. That made no sense to me.”

Lauren Shehadi agreed with DeRosa, who also talked about the good vibes in KC.

“I thought it was a phenomenal weekend in Kansas City. Three or four against the Guardians. Kind of just sent a little bit of a message,” DeRosa said. “They also put Bo Jackson in the Hall of Fame.”

This is a nice recap of the weekend, which was capped by Seth Lugo’s dominant start in the series finale.