BALTIMORE — When Brandon Hyde whipped the hat off his head, it was almost as if he needed to let the steam out more easily. The Orioles manager had been standing on the top step of the dugout, waiting for a verdict on a play at the plate.
And after a conference between umpires resulted in the decision to overturn the original call, Hyde came out to appeal the play at the plate — a key turning point in an eventual 8-1 series-finale loss in which the Pittsburgh Pirates avoided a sweep and ended Baltimore’s winning streak at five games. Managers aren’t allowed to argue replay rulings and Hyde was quickly ejected.
It all began with two outs in the seventh inning, with Pirates outfielder Greg Allen on second base and infielder Kevin Newman batting. A sharply hit ground ball into the hole between third base and shortstop was knocked down by shortstop Jorge Mateo’s dive into the outfield grass, and when the ball skittered a few feet away, Allen rounded third and headed toward the plate.
