Replay denies LaRoche HR
PITTSBURGH — Adam LaRoche was wary when baseball adopted video replay for home runs last season, convinced such a rule could only mean something bad for him.
Turns out he was right.
LaRoche became the first player to have a home run taken away by video replay, but it didn't prevent the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates from beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 on Wednesday night behind Ross Ohlendorf's two-hit pitching over six innings.
"If I could have bet the day this started, I would have put a lot of money on myself to be the first," LaRoche said after his first-inning drive to right field went from a homer to a double in a couple of minutes. "That's kind of the way it goes. I can laugh those things off now, but if there's a couple of guys on and we lose by one, it's huge."
With a runner on, LaRoche's flyball struck either a railing or small protective screen above the 21-foot wall in right field — both objects are in play — but the first base umpire signaled a home run.
