At ESPN Sweet Spot, David Schoenfield reminds us of a controversial, and wrong, call made by umpire Angel Hernandez that we now know has had a tangible impact on the AL side of the post-season.

On May 8, the Indians played host to the Athletics at Progressive Field. They led 4-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth and closer Chris Perez was ready to nail down another save. Shortstop Adam Rosales hit a fly ball to deep left-center and it appeared to hit off of a metal railing above the yellow line atop the fence, but Hernandez ruled it a double. The umpires conferred, left the field to review the tape, and did not overturn their incorrect call. The Athletics couldn’t get Rosales home and the Indians won 4-3.

We now know the Indians earned top billing in the AL Wild Card game with a 5-1 victory this afternoon. Acknowledging the butterfly effect, all other things being equal, the Indians would have entered today’s action tied with the Rays and Rangers for the two Wild Card spots rather than having control of the first spot by one game. Their victory today, along with those by the Rays and Rangers, would have sent the three teams into two extra games to decide the winners rather than one, and the Indians might not have been hosting at home.

[mlbvideo id=”26957341″ width=”600″ height=”336″ /]

Follow @CrashburnAlley