Replay Changes Homer to Double

Cliff Floyd’s deep drive hit the top of the scoreboard, or perhaps the wall behind it, and then bounced back onto the field.

Home run? Double? Umpire Frank Pulli checked a television replay Monday and then changed his call, much to the dismay of the Florida Marlins.

On further review, the rare role for TV helped the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2 victory.

Former Marlin World Series hero Edgar Renteria hit a pair of solo homers against his ex-teammates, and Kent Bottenfield pitched five innings and improved to 8-2, tying him for the National League lead in victories.

But the hot topic in both clubhouses afterward was Pulli’s decision to consult a TV replay. The umpires changed the call twice and got it right in the end, costing the Marlins a run.

The Marlins played the game under protest, arguing that the reliance on a replay violated major league policy and set an unwanted precedent.

“They used video to change the call--that’s what I’m protesting,” interim Manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

There is no mention of replay in the rule book, though umpires “do have the authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules.”

Pulli, whose 28 years as an umpire rank second in National League seniority, said it was the first time he had looked at a TV replay to make a call. “I sure don’t want to make a habit of it,” he said. “But at that moment, I thought it was the proper thing to do.”

The ruling came in the fifth inning. The Cardinals led, 4-1, before Floyd drove in a runner from second with his deep drive.

Floyd claimed his hit was a homer because it bounced off the facade behind the scoreboard. Second-base umpire Greg Gibson at first called the hit a double, but after the Marlins argued, the umpiring crew conferred briefly, and Pulli--the crew chief and third base umpire--changed the ruling to a homer.

The Cardinals then protested, and the game was delayed for more than five minutes while Pulli studied replays on a TV camera near the Marlins’ dugout.