'Terrible' call led to Ahmed's 12th-inning ejection, Miller in LF
PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks didn't blame a missed call for their loss Sunday, but it cost them their shortstop and left some wondering what could have been.
Nick Ahmed was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the12th inning. Replays and pitch f/x data showed the decisive pitch was inside, which would have been ball four; home plate umpire Marvin Hudson called it strike three.
Ahmed called out on what should have been ball 4. He argued, was ejected. If #Dbacks tie up, pitcher must play field https://t.co/WhSVmP2wFr
— Chris Gabel (@Chris_Gabel) April 25, 2016
"You feel like you battle, do everything you can and you get the bat taken out of your hand," said Ahmed, who had fallen behind 1-2 in what turned out to be a 10-pitch at-bat. "To be the tying run in that spot and not be able to get on base, it's frustrating.
"It was a ball the whole way out of his hand. It never came in the zone, it never started in the zone. It was completely terrible. I had dropped my bat already and was moving toward first. I didn't think he was going to even think about calling it a strike. Unfortunately he did."
Ahmed was not demonstrative in his argument but made it clear he felt the slider from Neftali Feliz was inside.
"You can't argue balls and strikes," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "(Hudson) let him argue a little bit there and he just said a little too much. ... It was a big at-bat. He battled his heart out and got called out on a bad pitch. That's the fact. I don't usually say those things but it was a bad pitch.
"He's a passionate kid and he was upset. You battle your heart out and it's taken away from you, it's not a good feeling."
It wasn't the only call Hudson missed, Ahmed felt.
"Throughout the game I think he was kind of erratic with his zone," Ahmed said. "He definitely missed a few pitches throughout the game. But nobody's perfect and that's not the reason why we lost.
"I didn't say anything I felt would have warranted getting thrown out of the game. I guess he felt differently."
It was Ahmed's first career ejection.
The D-backs already had used their four bench players -- pitcher Zack Greinke was in the on-deck circle -- and after they scored twice against Feliz on RBI from David Peralta and Jean Segura, Shelby Miller was forced to play left field in the 13th.
"In hindsight I probably shouldn't have said anything. But I didn't say anything all at-bat," Ahmed said. "I just told the guy it was a ball. It was never on the plate. (Feliz) missed his spot by four feet."
