I Have Nothing But The Utmost Respect For The Umpire Who Made The RIGHT Call To End The Orioles - White Sox Game
Listen, umpires have an impossible job. They have to make these bang-bang calls in a split second, they have a tough job! But in a bad world with a lot of bad umpires, Junior Valentine made the correct call. Hubbs broke it down here and I'll be honest, I respect his opinion but it's wrong. Hate it all you want, this was the right call. Rules are rules, this isn't Lord of the Flies here, we need rules and people to uphold those! This umpire did just that.
Thank god Gunnar Henderson appears to be okay after the brutal assault by Andrew Vaughn as he nearly decapitated him during this infield fly. It could have been bad, the best player on the Orioles getting taken out going for a pop up, baseball would have hated it. That's why I'm proud of the umpire for having the balls to make this call and award the Orioles a win. Not many people compliment the MLB umpires but I'll be the first to do it. Thank you to the boys in blue and black sometime for standing up for their umpire brethren and taking a stand. Don't be bullied by the mainstream media and outside noise. Gunnar was interfered with, he was hit like a prime time Sean Taylor hit, he almost had his knees taken out, I've seen people go to jail for assault that wasn't this bad. Thank god Junior Valentine and the umps made the right call. Hard fought win by the Orioles but when a gross play like this happens, you need someone to take control.
It's as simple as this, be mad at the umpires all you want but a man breaking a rule is a man breaking a rule. A pretty offensive and rude play by Vaughn to do that as well. Lost a lot of respect for him there. Leave Gunnar alone, then you get your next batter up who inevitably hits a game tying double off of Craig Kimbrel. This was a super strange game so it was always going to end with something like this. Winning run at the plate after being down 8-2 in the 9th, not the way you want to end the game but the umpires had to do it. Thankfully they made the right call and no one got injured any further.
I will say I've never been more confused trying to realize what was happening in real time. Gunnar had the same look on his face so it seems like literally no one on the field thought this was interference, except the 4 guys that mattered. Again, shoutout the umpires for getting the call right and sticking to it, I know understand why Joe West was wearing that arm band protesting verbal abuse of umpires. I stand with Joe here, let the umpires do their job. Andrew Vaughn should be arrested for the way he was head hunting out there, a disgusting play that doesn't belong on a baseball diamond. You want to interfere and hit guys? Go play for the Bears, leave my sweet precious Gunnar alone.
PS.
(If the Orioles or were on the other end of this I'd be camped outside that umpire's house within 2 hours. Insane to call this and end a game this way.)