Many of us have envisioned how weird the timing would be on challenges in certain situations (like a would-be walk-off winner to clinch a playoff berth, only to have it overturned and stop the celebration), and we got a pretty fun one in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
It appeared that John Jaso had grounded into a double play that ended the top of the seventh, so the Mets ran into the dugout -and - given that it was the seventh-inning stretch in New York -- the Mets had someone lined up to sing "God Bless America."
Meantime, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle wanted to challenge the play. So he started to walk out, but had to stop and take off his hat in respect for the song and our country. But he still wanted to challenge. So he did.
The call was overturned, as the umpires ruled that Neil Walker's foot wasn't on the bag at second when he made the turn, so the Mets had to re-take the field and the seventh-inning stretch technically hadn't happened yet. David Freese would follow with an RBI single -- driving home the runner who was allowed on second base by virtue of the replay -- before the Mets retired the side and reached the actual seventh-inning stretch.
The Pirates would top the Mets in a laugher eventually, 11-1.
