Braves catcher discusses controversial call vs. Phillies, manager says fan response was ‘uncalled for’

Saturday evening the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies opened the National League Division Series at Truist Park, and Philadelphia’s Game 1 win (PHI 3, ATL 0) featured some late-inning controversy. In the eighth inning, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was awarded first base on catcher interference — his swing made contact with Sean Murphy’s glove — which forced in a run with the bases loaded.

Here’s the play. It sounded like Realmuto’s swing hit Murphy’s glove and Murphy reacted like the swing hit his glove, though there there was no clear replay on the television broadcast showing the bat hit the glove:

The Braves challenged the play and, a few moments later, the replay crew in New York ruled the catcher interference call stands. “Stands” is official terminology, it should be noted. “Stands” means the replay crew did not see enough conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field. “Confirmed” means there was clear evidence to support the call on the field.

“All I had was the big board,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said about the catcher interference. “I looked and Murph didn’t say anything, and I don’t know that a hitter reacts like that. Things happen too quick for a guy to react like that if it didn’t happen, but I couldn’t tell off the video there.”

After the game, Murphy said, “I didn’t feel it, but I heard it.”

The MLB rulebook defines defensive interference as “an act by a fielder that hinders or prevents a batter from hitting a pitch.”

After the replace ruling was announced to the crowd, Braves fans responded by throwing debris — beer cans, cups, food containers, etc. — on the field. The game was delayed several minutes while the field was cleaned up.

“There’s no excuse for that,” Snitker said after the game. “I’ve been on that field when that’s happened and it’s scary because those water bottles when they come, they’re like grenades, and it could really seriously injure one of our players. That’s uncalled for.”

This is reminiscent of the 2012 NL Wild Card Game, when Braves fans littered the field with debris following a controversial infield fly rule call. In that game, the crowd was warned the Braves would have to forfeit due to unplayable conditions if they continued to throw debris on the field. Saturday’s mess did not rise to that level.

The catcher interference stretched Philadelphia’s lead to 3-0. The Phillies scored their first two runs on a Bryson Stott single and a Bryce Harper solo home run. Six Phillies relievers shut the Braves out across the final 5 1/3 innings. Game 1 was the first time since Aug. 28, 2021, that the Braves were shut out at home.