Gant caught the bag with his right foot approximately the same instance Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek caught the ball and applied a pretty adamant swipe tag on the runner. For good measure, Hrbek, who outweighs Gant, 253 pounds to 172, wrapped his arm around Gant's leg. And, in what appeared to be a pretty nifty move -- for wrestling -- Hrbek seemed to lift Gant's leg right off the bag as the Braves' center fielder fought to keep his balance.

Countless times in a season, an infielder in applying a tag will nudge the runner off the base, whether by shear force or momentum or in jestful play (remember big Willie Stargell playing bumper-cars with baserunners who used to come his way in Pittsburgh?). Countless times in those situations, umpires routinely seem to rule the runners safe. This time, in front of a delighted 55,145 at the Metrodome and a national television audience, the umpire, Drew Coble, ruled the runner out.

"His momentum was carrying toward the first-base dugout," Coble told pool reporters after the game. "When he did that, he began to switch feet. He tried to pick up one foot and bring the other one down. That just carried him more to the first-base dugout. Hrbek took the throw low and tried to tag him as his feet were coming up, too. As he did that, he just went over the top of him."

Explained Hrbek: "He fell on top of me. He pushed me over. That's the end of the story."

Gant had a different version. "It doesn't matter what he said," Gant said of Hrbek's explanation. "It was so obvious. He pushed me. Everyone on TV and in the stadium knew I was on the base. I didn't know you could push a guy off the base. The officiating has got to be better. It didn't cost us the game, but you never know what was going to happen."

Atlanta first baseman Sid Bream said he did the same thing to the Mets' Vince Coleman and also got an out call. Atlanta third baseman Terry Pendleton, agreeing it was a push by Hrbek, endorsed the tactic. "If you can get the edge and help him off the bag, so be it," Pendleton said. "This is a game and you're trying to win."