Winning the challenge cost the Reds four runs

A replay challenge in Major League Baseball is a manager's one attempt to have a call reviewed on video. The Cincinnati Reds used theirs in the first inning of Tuesday's doubleheader opener against the Cleveland Guardians, successfully overturned a hit-by-pitch ruling, and then watched Kyle Manzardo hit a grand slam on the next sequence, turning what should have been a one-run escape into a four-run deficit.

How the bases loaded

The Guardians opened the top of the first inning by loading the bases against Reds right-hander Chase Burns. Manzardo came to the plate with a 1-2 count, one pitch from the end of the at-bat.

Burns threw high and inside. Manzardo reacted as though the ball had clipped his forearm and made his case convincingly to the home plate umpire. In real time, the contact looked plausible. A hit by pitch awards the batter first base automatically; with the bases already loaded, that meant a run scored without a bat making contact. The umpire called it. One run scored. The inning continued.

The Reds challenged the ruling. Slow-motion review showed the pitch had not touched Manzardo. The call was reversed. The run came off the board. The at-bat resumed at a 2-2 count.

The cost of being right

A 2-2 count still gives the batter life. One more strike ends the at-bat; anything else keeps it going. Manzardo fouled off one pitch, then sent the next delivery from Burns into the outfield bleachers.

A grand slam is a home run hit with the bases loaded, scoring four runs on one swing. The original hit-by-pitch ruling would have sent one run home and ended the at-bat. The reversal removed that outcome and handed Manzardo another pitch to hit. He scored four instead.

The replay system worked exactly as designed. The correct call was made. The Reds just happened to be standing in the worst possible position when it was.

The final score

Cincinnati fought back. The Reds made the game close across the later innings and kept it within reach. The first-inning damage held. The Guardians won the opener of the doubleheader 6-5, and the grand slam was the margin.