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Fans reacted to a third-inning umpire call in the Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers game at Fenway Park. The two teams faced off in the second game of their three-game series on Wednesday.
While facing Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck in the third inning, Rangers' Wyatt Langford hit a ground ball. Houck fielded it and threw to first baseman Romy Gonzalez as Langford ran toward first base.
However, the throw was low, and Gonzalez couldn’t catch it cleanly. Langford overran first base and failed to touch the bag. Gonzalez then picked up the ball and stepped on first base before Langford returned to touch it.
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Langford was ruled safe. The Red Sox challenged the call, but it was upheld. Several fans took to social media to react to the controversial decision:
“He was clearly out. Runner missed the bag, 1B recovered ball with foot on bag,” a fan said.
“Eh throw the ball better to first base and make the catch and you wouldn’t have to worry about the call in this situation,” another fan said.
“Worst call I have ever seen,” another fan said.
Many other fans continued to share their thoughts:
“No, not unless the call was safe due to obstruction. Would be great if @MLB could confirm whether it was safe due to obstruction or if they just got the call wrong (on field and in review),” a comment reads.
“He’s safe. The 1B did put his foot on the base. However, he did not have full possession of the baseball when catching it. So to answer your question, the runner is safe,” another comment reads.
“They may have ruled that the First Baseman blocked his path to First Base. Which is why he missed the base,” someone wrote.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora explains the third-inning safe call
After the controversial third-inning call, the Texas Rangers managed to score one run. However, the Boston Red Sox rallied and went on to win the game 6-4, splitting the first two games of their series.
Following the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained the safe call, saying:
“If he (the base runner) doesn’t step on the bag, Romy needs to get the ball and tag him… You just gotta tag him. That’s the how you appeal it."
With this victory, the Red Sox move to 19-19 on the 2025 season. They will face the Rangers again on Thursday in the series finale.
