In the fourth inning, Neil Walker ripped what appeared to be a double down the first base line. Or was it?  No one quite knew initially as the first base umpire, Crew Chief Tom Hallion, failed to make the call. 

He didn’t make the call because, as he was trying to get out of the way of the ball, he didn’t get to see where the ball landed. He looked to the homeplate umpire, Adam Hamari, to see if he saw where the ball landed. As Walker was rounding first and heading to second, Hallion got the call from Hamari. It was a foul ball. This call was made as a result of two umpires conferring with one another while the play was happening. 

It’s strange that Hallion conferred with another umpire on the play because according to him, calls need to be made immediately regardless of whether or not they are the right call. 

You see, when Hallion was questioned post-game about Hamari’s quick ejection of Noah Syndergaard, he said, “We have to make a snap decision. We can’t think about, ok, well this guy did this or he did that in game six of whatever. We don’t have enough time to think that way.” (Adam Rubin, ESPN).  It’s absurd. 

When Syndergaard threw behind Utley, the umpires had three choices: (1) eject Syndergaard; (2) issue a warning to both teams; or (3) do nothing. No matter what the decision the umpires make, it’s going to impact the game. Doing nothing invites the Dodgers to retaliate. Issuing a warning may cause the pitchers to be skittish scout throwing inside. Ejecting Syndergaard would have a profound impact on that game that would seriously alter the Mets chances of winning the game. 

Now, if you’re going to make a decision that could have a profound impact on the game, shouldn’t a discussion, no matter how brief, take place?  There was time. It was a dead ball. No one was on base. Keep in mind, this is the same crew that just one inning later CONFERRED DURING A PLAY! It’s irrational and inconsistent to say a snap decision needs to be made when there’s a dead ball but you can take your time while there is a play happening. 

In the end, they should endeavor to get the calls correct. That includes ejections. Not every ejection requires umpires to confer. Arguing balls and strikes, cursing at an umpire, or making contact with an umpire is grounds for immediate ejection. However, ejecting Syndergaard wasn’t automatic. It was a judgment call. It was a judgment call that not only had an impact on this game, but also the Mets bullpen for the next few games. 

The umpires took time to get the Walker call right. They also should’ve taken the time to get the Syndergaard call right. They didn’t, and they made a bad decision because throwing out a player requires a snap decision whereas judging whether a ball is fair or foul requires time.